In a shocking case of fraud, four individuals have been arrested for allegedly swindling a man out of Rs80 lakh by falsely claiming lucrative profits in the buying and selling of used cars.
The accused, identified as Nikhil Rajendra Kute from Kutewada, Akurdi, Atul Balveer Mund from Viveknagar, Akurdi, Siddhesh Sambhaji Hindalekar from Pradhikaran, Nigdi, and Deepak Ramsurat Yadav from Giriraj Society, Bijlinagar, reportedly presented rental vehicles as their own to dupe the victim. They used forged Regional Transport Office (RTO) smart cards to convince him of the legitimacy of their transactions.
The victim, Pratik Rajesh Shinde, 29, a resident of Chinchwad, filed a complaint at the Chikhali Police Station detailing the fraudulent activities that allegedly occurred between October 23, 2023, and April 12, 2024, in the Mahatma Phule Nagar area.
According to police reports, the accused gained Shinde’s trust by promising substantial profits from the trade of used cars. They claimed to have acquired rental cars from individuals named Sumit Kavade and Rahul Kale, presenting these vehicles as available for sale.
In total, Shinde was handed 13 cars from various manufacturers, with the accused falsely asserting their authorization to sell them. To reinforce their deception, they provided counterfeit RTO smart cards, leading Shinde to believe that the deals were genuine.
Over time, Shinde paid Rs80.65 lakh in installments for the vehicles. It was only later that he discovered the smart cards were forged, prompting him to demand a refund of his money. When the accused refused to return the funds, Shinde turned to the police for assistance.
The investigation is currently being led by Sub-inspector Devkar, as authorities work to unravel the details of this elaborate scam.
