Three arrested for car sale scam on OLX
New Delhi: The Delhi Police have busted a gang of fraudsters involved in duping people through the popular OLX app, with the arrest of three persons.
The group, comprising three individuals, swindled victims by selling rented cars, leading to the recovery of a stolen vehicle, two rented cars, five mobile phones, and an internet dongle. The case arrests also solve three cases of cheating and motor vehicle theft, officials said on Friday.
The accused persons have been identified as Arun Kumar (24), Ankit Kumar (24) and Hemant Kumar alias Omkar (38), all residents of Jhajjar, Haryana. M Harsha Vardhan Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dwarka said that the police action was initiated following two complaints registered at Dwarka Sec-23 police station. In the first incident, the complainant reported the theft of his Maruti S-Cross car from Marble Market Sec-20, Dwarka, on June 4.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the victim had contacted the car’s supposed owner through the OLX app and transferred money to an HDFC Bank account. The second case involved a complainant who claimed to have purchased a Maruti Swift car through the OLX app and transferred Rs 4.5 lakh to an HDFC Bank account, only to later realise that the car was rented and he had been cheated.
A team of police officials from PS Dwarka Sec-23, under the leadership of Inspector Sunil Kumar, SHO/Sec-23 Dwarka, and overall supervision of ACP Madan Lal Meena, launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter. The team conducted a meticulous analysis of the beneficiary bank account, call detail records (CDRs) of mobile numbers, and the suspects’ modus operandi, Harsha Vardhan said. On July 16, the team narrowed down their suspects based on technical and manual surveillance. Subsequent raids at different locations resulted in the arrest of three individuals.
Interrogations revealed that the gang had created multiple accounts on OLX using different mobile phones. They would rent cars and then target unsuspecting individuals on OLX to sell the rented vehicles.
To avoid detection, the fraudsters frequently changed locations and rented cars they used for their illicit activities, DCP Dwarka added.
During the operation, the police recovered one stolen Maruti S-Cross car, two rented cars (MG Hector and Maruti Swift), five mobile phones used in the crimes, an internet dongle, and a bag belonging to one of the complainants. With the arrests, the police have successfully solved three cases, including one from PS Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan, Harsha Vardhan added.
