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Used vehicle dealer duped of ₹1.10 lakh in online deal
A used vehicle dealer was allegedly cheated of ₹1.10 lakh by a man who promised to help him purchase a Royal Enfield Bullet at a good price after responding to an online advertisement
Pune: A used vehicle dealer was allegedly cheated of ₹1.10 lakh by a man who promised to help him purchase a Royal Enfield Bullet at a good price after responding to an advertisement on online classifieds platform. The Kharadi police on Wednesday registered a cheating case against the accused, identified as Dinesh Verma.
The complaint was filed by Bhagyesh Rajendra Zori, 24, of Bahiratwadi on Senapati Bapat Road in Shivajinagar, who deals in the purchase and sale of used vehicles. According to the police, the incident took place on July 23 and 24 at Urban Nirvana Society in Tuljabhavaninagar, Kharadi.
Assistant inspector Ravindra Godse said, “The accused allegedly gained the complainant’s confidence by claiming that he could arrange the motorcycle at a good price. After the online payment was made, the vehicle was not handed over. We are verifying bank transactions, call records and other technical evidence to trace the accused.”
According to the police, Zori received a call on July 23 from a man identifying himself as Dinesh Verma, who claimed he wanted to sell a Royal Enfield Bullet. Verma allegedly sent photographs and details of the motorcycle through WhatsApp. When Zori noticed that the name on the registration certificate did not match Verma’s identity, the latter allegedly claimed that he was the vehicle’s second owner.
Verma initially quoted ₹1.5 lakh for the motorcycle. The following day, Zori went to Tuljabhavaninagar to inspect the vehicle. There, Verma allegedly told him that a man named Vikrant Bhardwaj would show him the motorcycle.
Bhardwaj allowed Zori to take a test ride and handed over the motorcycle’s original accessories on request. He allegedly told Zori that the registered owner, identified as Khatri, was busy and financial dealings should be carried out through Verma.
Zori then contacted Verma, who shared the vehicle documents via WhatsApp. The deal was finalised at ₹1.30 lakh. Verma allegedly claimed that his father had been admitted to hospital and that he urgently needed money. Trusting him, Zori transferred ₹1.10 lakh through a QR code shared by Verma. The remaining ₹20,000 was to be paid after the original documents were handed over.
Verma allegedly told Zori that the person carrying the original documents had travelled to Delhi and that the papers would be delivered within two to three days. Meanwhile, Bhardwaj reportedly assured Zori that he would obtain the necessary signatures on the vehicle transfer forms.
However, after the payment was made, Bhardwaj refused to hand over the motorcycle, prompting Zori to call the police.
During the inquiry, Bhardwaj told police that he was only a friend of the vehicle’s owner and had uploaded the advertisement online on the latter’s behalf. Bhardwaj said that Verma was neither his friend nor connected to the vehicle owner and that the ₹1.10 lakh transferred by Zori had not reached either him or the registered owner.
