Two Arrested for Defrauding 1,375 People in Car-Rental Scam
The accused promised high monthly returns and deceived victims across multiple states; authorities recovered 246 cars involved in the scam.
Two Individuals Arrested for Cheating 1,375 Individuals of ₹20.60 Crore in Car-Rental Scam; 246 Cars Seized
MUMBAI: Two men were arrested by police in a huge crackdown on a phony car-rental racket, in which they allegedly cheated 1,375 people of ₹20.60 crore. The duo reportedly promised good monthly salaries ranging from ₹55,000 to ₹75,000 to attract customers to their sham rental company, which was actually a racket. The arrests were made by the Kashimira police at Mira Road on April 29, with raids also taking place at Dapoli in Ratnagiri district.
The police have seized 246 vehicles involved in the scam, valued at approximately ₹25 crore. The accused have been identified as Sandeep Kandalkar, also known as Raju Rajiv Joshi, and Sachin Tetagure, both residents of Dapoli in Ratnagiri. Kandalkar, a convict with a record of 13 fraud cases filed against him, is said to have employed the scam to lure people to invest in a fantasy car-rental business, where it involved a pick-up and drop facility at airports and seaports like the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.
Victims were informed that they could make a monthly return of ₹55,000 to ₹75,000 by investing in the company or by renting out their own vehicles. The accused invested the funds raised from victims in buying luxury cars and SUVs like Innova Crysta, Maruti Brezza, Bolero Pickup, Kia Creta, Maruti Ertiga, and Mahindra Thar. First, the swindlers credited victims’ bank accounts with the promised returns to build their confidence, but later defaulted on payment, leaving the victims financially stranded.
“Total amount of ₹20.60 crore was collected by the accused from 1,375 individuals,” a police officer probing the case said. On the basis of information given by the arrested men, 246 vehicles were confiscated from Mumbai and its outskirts. The seized cars constitute a major portion of the assets in the scam.
Police have also questioned a few of the main accused‘s associates, such as Divyata Mhatre (26) and Rohan Mhatre (35) from Mira Road, Pravin Telang (44) from Bhayander, Vaishali Dhuri (47) from Charkop, Nilesh Shinde (38) of Mantuga East, and Babu Maruti Awad (49) from Navi Mumbai.
The accused have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for cheating and breach of trust. They also face charges of being part of an organized crime syndicate since the investigation indicated that the financial fraud had gone on for many years. Madhukar Pandey, Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar Commissioner of Police, said the operation was part of an ongoing initiative to prevent organized financial crimes in the area.
Official sources continue to look into the scheme and are struggling to recover more assets while ascertaining additional victims and other associates who engaged in the corrupt scheme.
