Police look for Oz man over tax dodge

Suspected defaulter drove around with fake number plates

The Ashok Nagar police confirmed that Alexander Moore (55), CEO of LJ Hooker, a real estate firm, is said to be absconding after he was found using the registration number of a Maruti Omni (KA-03-MB-8388) for his Benz.

The 2002 model Omni belongs to an Indiranagar resident, Keshavamurthy, an inquiry has confirmed.

The imported car was brought into the country through the Mumbai port and was brought to Bangalore, but no tax was paid on it.

Moore has been living and working in the City since 2008, a stone’s throw from the foreigners registration office, but till 3 pm Tuesday, police were clueless about the car, until Vijay, who happened to have been cheated by  Hooker’s company, exposed the tax evasion.

Vijay captured on camera the Benz being driven around in the City and collected details and history of the vehicle. Armed with the data, he  tried contacting senior police officers, and finally managed to convince them.

On Tuesday, the cops visited Moore’s office and seized the car. However, it is learnt that Moore landed at the police station and tried to show a set of papers, but when the cops questioned him closely, he said he would come back but did not return.

Alerted Embassy

“It is still not clear as to why the Australian fixed an Omni number plate on his car. We are trying to find out if it is an attempt to evade customs duty, entry tax and other taxes. We have also alerted the Australian Embassy,” said DCP (Central) Ramesh.

“I can’t understand how he managed to get the vehicle serviced. The high-end car maker has too many checks. At every step and minute, when they change a part, it is recorded in their system, which in turn goes into the vehicle’s history,” the officer added.