Mumbai: Man loses Rs 4.10 lakh after buying 'suspicious' car listed on e-marketplace

The next time you decide to buy a used car displayed for sale on e-marketplaces, make sure to cross-check the documents of the vehicle and verify the credentials of the seller, else you could land in trouble.

A 32-year-old site supervisor from Hadapsar in Pune learnt it the hard way after he was duped for Rs. 4.10 lakh by dubious agents in Mira-Bhayander's Kashimira.

In his statement to the police, the complainant said that while searching for a second car on the app of a reputed online marketplace, he came across a Maruti Ertiga car on sale for Rs. 4,30,000.

The complainant contacted the number of the agent mentioned in the advertisement. A meeting was scheduled and both the parties met in Kashimira. After negotiations, the agents named Sajid and Mustafa scaled-down the price to Rs. 4,10,000. The complainant took delivery of the car by transferring Rs. 2,10,000. The balance was to be paid after the handover of NOC from the registered owner. However, a few days later the duo requested payment with a promise of sending the documents.

The complainant cleared the balance but the duo instead of handing over the NOC went on killing time on one pretext or the other. The complainant was shocked to learn that the original car owner- a resident of Nashik was not only unaware of any such deal but had registered a complaint at Panvel police station of being cheated of his car by a third person under the guise of providing monthly rentals, last year.

While the Panvel police impounded the car for further process, their Kashimira counterparts registered an offence under sections 406 and 420 of the IPC against the duo. However, no arrests have been made so far.