Bhubaneswar: The Chandrasekharpur police arrested two youths Sunday who allegedly stole cars from owners by taking them for test drives under the pretext of purchasing them.
The accused have been identified as Ashrajit Kumar, 25, of Bihar, and Harsh Kumar, 26, of Jharkhand.
According to police, the duo operated a car test-drive racket by contacting people looking to sell their vehicles through various online platforms.
They would first establish contact with the owners, gain their trust, and express interest in buying the vehicles.
During the process, they would take the cars out for a test drive and then flee with them.
Kuldeep Das, a resident of the Chandrasekharpur area, is among the recent victims.
He had posted an advertisement to sell his car on OLX when he was targeted by the accused.
After losing his car to the fraudsters, he lodged a complaint with the police, who launched an investigation and traced the suspects to the Panikoili area in Jajpur district, where they were apprehended.
“We have seized two vehicles from their possession—one sedan and one SUV.
The accused have been forwarded to court. They were involved in similar thefts across multiple states,” said Chandrasekharpur IIC Girish Chandra Maharana.