Bhopal: The Arera Hills police on Wednesday claimed to have dismantled a vehicle fraud racket that allegedly acquired cars from travel agencies and private owners under the false pretense of attaching them to government departments and public sector undertakings. Instead, the vehicles were sold in other states after their GPS systems were disabled.
Police have arrested six individuals, including the alleged mastermind, and recovered 36 cars valued at approximately Rs 4 crore. The accused have been remanded for three days for further interrogation.
How the Racket Operated
According to police, the prime accused, Shailesh Joshi, 43, an auto dealer on Ayodhya Bypass, leveraged his connections in the automobile and travel industry to gain the trust of vehicle owners. He allegedly claimed that he could get vehicles attached to government departments and assured owners of lucrative monthly rentals.
GPS Disabled, Vehicles Shifted to Sehore
Investigations revealed that after taking possession of the vehicles, Joshi and his associates moved them to Doraha in Sehore district. There, the GPS tracking systems were allegedly disabled to prevent owners from tracing their vehicles. Police said fake agreements and forged documents were then prepared before the cars were sold to unsuspecting buyers.
Cars Worth Rs 20 Lakh Sold for Rs 8-10 Lakh
The gang primarily targeted farmers and rural buyers, offering vehicles worth Rs 15-20 lakh for as little as Rs 8-10 lakh. Buyers were allegedly assured that ownership documents would be transferred within a few months.
The fraud came to light after complainant Gaurav Kushwaha from Vidisha lost track of his vehicle, which he had handed over for government deployment. Following the last GPS location, he reached Doraha and found several suspicious vehicles parked there.
Police said another accused, travel agency operator Vishwajeet Gaur, has also been named in the case and remains absconding. Efforts are on to trace additional vehicles allegedly sold by the racket.
