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Former sarpanch in police net in cheating case; 20 luxury cars recovered
The former sarpanch’s two accomplice agents will also be arrested. He is in custody for five days, say police
A former sarpanch of a village in Khed was arrested and remanded to police custody for cheating over 200 people by taking their cars and mortgaging them further to people in different districts. The man cheated not only the owner but also the person he mortgaged the cars to, according to Krishna Prakash, commissioner of Pimpri Chinchwad police.
The arrested man has been identified as Sagar Mohan Sable (34), a resident of Sabelwadi in Khed. He landed on the police radar when a man complained against him for cheating him out of the ownership of his car after he failed to return the car.
A case for cheating and criminal breach of trust was registered at Bhosari police station.
A team led by police sub-inspector Prashant Sable changed their looks and pretended to be locals in Beed in order to arrest Sable.
He has cheated 200-250 people by taking their cars after telling them that he has good connections with industrial companies and that he could get them good rent money. He took possession of the cars through a notarised process. He then took the cars to agents and told them that I’ll give you these cars for heavily subsidised rates. The agents further mortgaged the cars to other people and falsely told them that the cars belong to people who are now economically weak and cannot pay their debts.
“He would tell the people in other districts that they can use the car for a low price until the original owner pays their debt. In rural areas, high debt is generally considered as a lost cause after a while. Under this assumption, the people would pay for the cars,” said Prakash.
The police have recovered 20 cars worth ₹1,96,00,000, according to the officials. However, over the past multiple years, the man has misused 50-55 cars from Khed, 20 from Baramati and Daund, 70 from Pimpri-Chinchwad, and 70 others from other places in the state.
“The former sarpanch does not have any previous cases but he does have two accomplice agents who will also be arrested. He is in police custody for five days. It is people’s fault too for trusting that the cars will be available at such a low price,” said Prakash.
The police are in the process of recovering other cars which were sold in the same way. The two agents are also on the police radar along with others who may have helped him mortgage the cars.
