Bhubaneswar: A couple, allegedly involved in duping several people to the tune of around Rs 100 crore on the pretext of supplying cars at subsidized prices, was arrested by the Commissionerate Police here, Thursday.
The accused, Akshay Gouda and Usharani Gouda, hailing from Aska town under Ganjam district, posed as middlemen before several prospective buyers claiming that they were in contact with dealers of branded car makers, said an officer from Nayapalli police station where a case under IPC Sections 420, 34 has been registered against them. The arrested couple runs a showroom,’ Pattakhanda Automobiles’, in the Capital City, in partnership with their relative, Sibananda Gouda, who is also an accomplice in the crime, the officer added.
Reportedly, scores of complaints had earlier been registered against the couple at Pahala, Capital, Badagada, Khandagiri, and Lakshmi Sagar Police stations, alleging fraud and cheating. Giving more details about the modus operandi of the accused, the officer said the duo used social media to advertise 50 percent discount offer on brand-new cars. When potential buyers contacted them, the couple would entice them into a trap by displaying bogus images where they were seen delivering new cars to people, he added.
In several instances, the accused couple produced fake documents that mentioned agreements with car dealers for clearance sale, the officer stated. The initial probe by Nayapalli Police station has revealed that the couple targeted affluent individuals in the city. A woman, who owns a car showroom under the city limits, claimed that the husbandwife duo swindled Rs 3 crore from her, with fake promises to deliver cars from the manufacturer.
Another complainant, who lodged a case at Nayapalli police station, stated that he paid an advance amount to the couple for an SUV. However, the fraudsters stopped answering his calls when the deadline arrived for delivery. It was then he realized he had been duped.
DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP
