Naharlagun/Itanagar, February 18: Police in the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) have uncovered a major inter-state vehicle fraud racket and recovered 16 high-end vehicles from different locations in Naharlagun. A 38-year-old man from Guwahati, Assam, has been arrested in connection with the case, officials said on Wednesday.
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| Recovered high-end vehicles parked outside Naharlagun Police Station following a major inter-state vehicle fraud bust in ICR.(Image: TNP) |
According to ICR Superintendent of Police Nyelam Nega, the operation was carried out by a police team led by SDPO Rishi Longdo following the registration of a case at Naharlagun Police Station against Rupjyoti Das (38), a resident of Dathgaon, Guwahati. The accused has been booked under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and is currently in police custody.
During the investigation, police recovered a fleet of luxury and utility vehicles, including one Toyota Fortuner, seven Mahindra Scorpio S11s, two Mahindra XUV300s, two Kia Seltos SUVs, one Maruti Brezza, one Hyundai Creta, one Maruti Jimny, and one Mahindra Bolero.
Investigators revealed that Das allegedly posed as a cluster head of HSBC Bank and falsely claimed that the vehicles were being sold through legitimate bank e-auctions. Using this deception, he reportedly gained the trust of vehicle owners by paying initial instalments after renting vehicles from Assam.
Police suspect that Das rented around 71 vehicles from different owners in Assam and later fraudulently sold more than 40 of them to buyers in Arunachal Pradesh. He allegedly assured purchasers that all necessary ownership and transfer documents would be provided at a later stage.
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Preliminary investigations have indicated that several related cases have also been registered in Assam, suggesting that the fraud extended beyond Arunachal Pradesh and may involve a larger network of victims.
SP Nega stated that all recovered vehicles have either been handed over to Assam Police or returned to their rightful owners after completing the required legal procedures. He added that further investigations are underway to recover additional vehicles and identify more victims connected to the scam.
Police have advised the public to thoroughly verify vehicle ownership records and transaction documents with transport authorities, banks, and law enforcement agencies before making purchases to avoid becoming victims of similar frauds.
