In what is being called one of its biggest crackdowns yet, the Bhopal Commissionerate Police have exposed a luxury car fraud racket that cheated people out of crores of rupees. The gang worked hand in glove with travel agency operators to seize expensive vehicles from their owners and then quietly sell them off in other states. During the action, police recovered 40 cars worth Rs 5 crore along with two motorcycles, and arrested six accused including Shailesh Joshi.
A Single Complaint That Unravelled Everything
The thread that led to the entire network came from a complaint filed by Govind Kushwaha, a resident of Vidisha. Govind had handed his car over to accused Shailesh Joshi to sell, but even after the vehicle was sold, he never received the money owed to him. Feeling cheated, he lodged a fraud complaint. Acting on it, the Arera Hills police station registered a case and launched an investigation, eventually conducting raids that blew the lid off the whole gang.
How the Vehicles Were Siphoned Off
The probe revealed that Shailesh Joshi was running an organised gang along with his associates and the operators of certain travel agencies. The group would take possession of expensive cars on the pretext of renting them or arranging their sale, and then sell them off in other states. Disturbingly, investigators found that several of these vehicles were sold to people who did not even hold valid documents to drive them.
A Network Spread Across States
According to police, the fraud was not confined to Madhya Pradesh alone. Its reach extended to Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Delhi, which is why police are treating it as an inter-state operation with deep roots in multiple regions.
Who Was Arrested and Who Remains At Large
Police have arrested Shailesh Joshi, Waheed Ali, Ajay Joshi, Arun Nath, Raja Meena and Rehan Khan in connection with the case. The hunt is still on for the prime accused, Vijayjeet Singh Gaur, and the other absconding suspects.
15 to 20 Vehicles Already Sold
Police say the gang has already sold between 15 and 20 expensive vehicles so far. Investigating agencies suspect that the scope of this fraud may stretch into several more states, which is why the ambit of the inquiry is being steadily widened.
