Bloomington police are searching for an Audi and two men posing as a towing company after an officer discovered the company the men claimed to represent did not tow the car.
Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Dana Cole said a man reported around 3:30 p.m. Thursday that his roommate's white 2015 Audi Q5 was missing from its parking spot near 3429 E. Covenanter Drive.
The man told police his 21-year-old roommate, the owner of the car, has been in China for a few weeks. He noticed Aug. 5 the car was missing from the lot but told police he thought his roommate had lent it out to a friend. When the two spoke Thursday, he discovered the car had not been lent out but was actually missing and called the police.
Cole said the man spoke to his apartment complex manager, who said the complex had not asked a towing company to remove his roommate's car from the lot. The employee gave him a number for the complex’s towing company.
The man told police he called the number for the towing company and then received two phone calls from different numbers.
Cole said the complainant answered one of these calls, and a man claiming to be an employee for Indy Pro Tow told him the company towed the car due to expired license plates. The caller said it would cost $800 to retrieve.
A BPD officer arrived and called the number the complainant spoke to pretending to be the owner of the car, Cole said. The officer inquired why a towing company from Indianapolis would tow a car in Bloomington, and the man on the phone told the officer he did not know who had authorized the tow.
The officer then identified himself and was hung up on, Cole said. He attempted to call the number back but got no answer.
Cole said the officer called the listed number for Indy Pro Tow. He was told Indy Pro Tow did not have the car nor would it come to Bloomington and tow a car for expired license plates.
The officer then called the number from the other phone call the complainant received. His call was answered, and he could hear two male voices, Cole said. The officer identified himself as police and began requesting to know the location of the car. One of the men got angry with the officer, and the phone call disconnected.
While they have not located the car, Cole said police have reason to believe the car may be in Greenwood, Indiana, and have reached out to Greenwood Police Department for assistance in the investigation.
