Want to transport a motorcycle through a private logistics company? Make sure you contact it through the right online channel or else fraudsters might take you for a ride, literally.
Police in northeastern Bengaluru busted a scam run by a gang that cheated hundreds of people by claiming to transport two-wheelers through well-known companies.
In reality, they were former employees out to make a quick buck.
The gang placed advertisements on dubious web pages, promising to transport vehicles anywhere in India in a hassle-free manner through well-known companies.
Police went after the gang while investigating a cheating complaint filed by Ashfaq Hussain, 50, a JB Kaval resident who wanted to send a Royal Enfield motorcycle to a friend’s son in Hubballi as a birthday gift.
A man in a hurry, he looked up the internet for the contact number of a well-known transport company. The search led him to a web page.
On July 13, he called one of the numbers given therein.
The receiver claimed to be an employee of the company and answered his queries. Four days later, another so-called employee called up Hussain and asked him to pay a fee of Rs 4,000 by UPI to transport the motorcycle. Hussain handed over the motorcycle but it wasn’t delivered.
When he called the person concerned, he was asked to pay more. Hussain paid another Rs 20,000 but even then the delivery was to take almost 20 days. Feeling cheated, he went to the police.
But before the police could trace the gang, the motorcycle was delivered through the same company.
A team led by the Northeast CEN Crime police inspector Santosh Ram R has arrested four suspects — Puran Singh Chauhan, 25, Narendra, 32, Dharmender, 21, all from Rajasthan; and Dharamveer, 24, from Haryana. All were living in Electronics City.
Police said the suspects had worked for transport companies and knew their inner workings. They posted personal numbers online in the name of two well-known companies.
How they lured customers
To lure customers, the gang charged the standard rates but kept the vehicles in the warehouse and delayed the delivery.
When frustrated customers called them, they cited “unavoidable” reasons for the delayed delivery and asked them to pay extra for speedy service.
In many cases, they extorted between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 and got the vehicles delivered by the same company. The transport charges were billed to the receiver who had to pay to get the vehicle.
Two cases have been registered at the Northeast CEN Crime police station and one in Vijayanagar. Police are hunting for two more suspects.
Police asked the public to place orders only through genuine online channels, saying any fraudster can post ads online.
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