A Rajarhat resident was allegedly robbed by a shuttle taxi driver on Sunday night after taking a ride from the Sovabazar crossing.

The 41-year-old passenger, Ramji Tiwari, said the driver forced him to get off in a dark lane near Ultadanga and snatched his gold chain before speeding away.

Police said they reviewed CCTV footage from private and traffic cameras to trace the car. The vehicle’s ownership had changed hands four times, they said on Thursday.

Tiwari, the lone passenger in the shuttle taxi, had no records of the driver, as it was not an app-based cab. However, he guided the police to the spot where the robbery occurred.

“During transit, the driver diverted the vehicle to a dark lane, asked the complainant to alight, and snatched the gold chain from his neck,” said an officer of Ultadanga police station, where Tiwari filed his complaint on Wednesday.

Hundreds of cars that are not registered with ride-hailing services or taxi unions operate as shuttle taxis, charging commuters random fares.

Last November, a woman waiting for a bus near Ambedkar Bridge on EM Bypass was allegedly molested in a shuttle taxi she boarded after spotting a familiar face inside, and was dropped off near the Maidan.

The police have repeatedly advised commuters to avoid such informal cabs.

The detective department took up the chain snatching investigation. “The anti-snatching team examined the complainant and visited the site. Based on his statement, extensive CCTV footage was analysed, leading to the identification of the vehicle,” said joint commissioner (crime), Kolkata Police, Rupesh Kumar.

The police contacted the car’s last registered owner, which helped establish the identity of the driver.

The accused, Raja Sharma, 30, was arrested from his Bagmari Road residence on Thursday, and the gold chain was recovered. Sharma was produced before a court on Thursday.