Noida man uses fake docs to acquire high-end cars, held

The modus operandi involved issuing bogus cheques and faking online banking payment messages to deceive dealers

NOIDA: The Noida police have apprehended a man for allegedly orchestrating a series of fraudulent schemes involving forged documents to acquire high-end cars, officers said on Saturday.

Police are investigating the extent to which the suspect’s wife was also involved, she is wanted in the case but not arrested, officers said. (Representational image)

The accused, Rajdeb Kumar Deb, 38, resident of Tower A 1, Cleo County, Sector 121, was nabbed by the Noida Phase 1 police on Friday following a complaint by a dealer in Sector 5, they said.

“During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had booked a Tata Safari car from a dealer in Sector 5, Noida, on August 10, 2023, paying ₹11,000 online. During delivery, Rajdeb and his wife Koyal Deb issued a cheque from their bank account in the name of the dealer. However, they immediately stopped the cheque, and created a fake message to show a payment of ₹26 lakh credited to the dealer’s account, thereby securing the delivery of the car,” said Ram Badan Singh, deputy commissioner of police (DCP).

Police are investigating the extent to which the suspect’s wife was also involved. She is wanted in the case but not arrested, officers said, adding that she is not absconding.

“Further probe by the dealer revealed that the cheque issued by the accused had not been cleared. The message shown to the agency was also fake. Although, for a short time, the dealer’s account appeared to reflect the payment, upon detailed scrutiny, no payment had actually been credited. Taking advantage of this discrepancy, the accused managed to take delivery of the vehicle,” the DCP added.

Subsequent probes uncovered that the accused had used similar fraudulent tactics to acquire two other vehicles—one worth approximately ₹22 lakhs from a Noida dealer, one worth ₹30 lakhs from a dealer on Najafgarh Road, Delhi, and another in Moti Nagar, Delhi, said police, adding that the modus operandi involved issuing bogus cheques and faking online banking payment messages to deceive dealers.

The list of vehicles acquired in such a manner included Tata Safari car, acquired from Sagar Motors Sector 5 Noida, Grand Vitara worth about ₹22 lakhs, and Toyota Hilux worth about ₹30 lakhs from Rana Motors, Noida, and Galaxy Toyota Najafgarh Road Moti Nagar, Delhi, respectively, officers said.

“The accused disclosed that when agencies followed up for payment, he assured them verbally and in writing to settle the amount before the issuance of vehicle’s RC (registration certificate). This assurance delayed complaints to the transport department, enabling the accused to obtain the RC and subsequently sell the vehicles for financial gain. For instance, he admitted to selling the Tata Safari, obtained from the Sector 5 Noida dealer, to a person named Lalit Kumar Dixit in Delhi through another dealer for ₹12 lakhs,” Singh added.

Officers said that a case was registered last year at Phase 3 police station, Noida, against Rajdeb under multiple sections, including Indian Penal Code Section 420 (cheating), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy).