Pune SUV Fraud Case: Friend Sells Borrowed Vehicle Using Forged Papers
A shocking case of vehicle fraud has emerged in Pune, where a resident of Erandwane borrowed his friend's SUV under false pretenses, only to sell it using forged RTO documents. The Chinchwad police arrested the perpetrator and the purchaser on Monday, while an FIR has been registered against four individuals, including two who allegedly prepared the fake paperwork.
Details of the Deception and Arrest
The complainant, a 24-year-old labour contractor from Walhekarwadi in Chinchwad, reported that his friend, Avinash Borade (37) of Erandwane, approached him in September last year. Borade requested to borrow the SUV for three days, claiming he needed it to attend a family wedding. After the agreed deadline passed, the contractor repeatedly asked for his vehicle back, but Borade provided various excuses and avoided returning it.
Sub-inspector Kiran Balip of the Chinchwad police stated, "When Borade stopped responding to calls in recent days, the contractor approached us. We took Borade into custody for questioning." During interrogation, Borade confessed that he had sold the vehicle to a used car dealer from Chinchwad, Bhalchandra Thorat (38).
Forgery and Further Investigations
Borade also revealed the involvement of two other men who assisted in preparing a fake registration book for the SUV and forged the owner's Aadhaar and PAN cards. Based on this information, police arrested Thorat, the purchaser, who allegedly bought the vehicle without proper verification. Both Borade and Thorat have been remanded in police custody for five days by a court.
Investigations uncovered that the SUV was subsequently transferred to a person in Solapur district. Police are currently in the process of recovering the vehicle and have launched a search for the two individuals responsible for creating the counterfeit documents.
Legal Charges and Ongoing Probe
The four accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including:
- Section 318 (cheating)
- Section 316 (criminal breach of trust)
- Sections 336 and 338 (forgery of valuable security)
This case highlights the risks associated with lending vehicles without proper safeguards and the sophistication of document forgery in such frauds. Authorities are urging citizens to verify documents thoroughly during vehicle transactions to prevent similar incidents.
