Mumbai: The Nagpada police have dismantled a gang that employed a scheme of contacting vehicle owners for rentals, then failing to return the vehicles after renting them, and subsequently selling the cars to others using fabricated documentation. This gang operated by booking cars via calls made from stolen mobile phones. Previously, these individuals had an FIR lodged against them at Mumbai's Santacruz police station for failing to return a rented car.
According to details received from the Nagpada police, Farid Abdul Chali (26), the complainant, reported that on July 29, a person named Niyaz Khan reached out to him and took two cars on rent for self-driving purposes. Although he was supposed to return both vehicles by August 1, he did not do so. Chali's attempts to contact Khan proved fruitless. Consequently, when he failed to recover his vehicles, he lodged a formal complaint at the Nagpada police station on August 10.
Cars sold illegally | FPJ
A Total of 7 Individuals Arrested
Immediately upon registering the complaint, Senior Police Inspector Mahesh Kumar Thakur assigned the investigation to police officers Sachin Kadam and Kiran Chowgle. During the inquiry, the Nagpada police apprehended two women, Zeenat Khan (30) and Jiya Sachdev (21), as part of their technical investigation. During the interrogation of these two, a total of seven individuals were apprehended, while additional suspects were identified.
DCP Akbar Pathan revealed that these criminals utilized stolen mobile SIM cards to obfuscate their identities. One of the arrested individuals, Lamman Sayyed (23) of Powai, specialized in stealing mobile phones from laborers in small village factories, which were then delivered to Sachdev. Sachdev employed these phones to book rental vehicles.
Cars Sold through Fabricated Documents
After booking the vehicles, Zeenat Khan and Shahdab Shaikh (34), both accused, would proceed to retrieve the cars. These individuals would then venture outside Mumbai, renting vehicles and subsequently selling them to other parties using forged documentation. In connection with this case, the Nagpada police also apprehended Amin Shaikh (28), Rahil Khan (29), and Swapnil Ghule (25).
The police confiscated three vehicles from these individuals, including a stolen Toyota Crysta and Fortuner, which have been secured by the Nagpada police. A case has been filed at the Santacruz police station regarding the failure to return the rented Crysta car.
