October 1, 2024.
Mumbai Police have recovered 26 out of 28 vehicles illegally sold by a 21-year-old man named Akash Brijesh Singh. Singh tricked vehicle owners into handing over their cars, bikes, and transport vehicles by promising to rent them out for film shoots. However, instead of paying rent or returning the vehicles, he sold them off.
The vehicles sold by Singh include popular models like the Mahindra XUV, Honda Accord, Wagon R, Ertiga, Honda City, and Ford Corolla. He also sold high-end bikes like the KTM and Yamaha R1.
The scam came to light when a 24-year-old victim from Malvani filed a complaint with the police. Singh had promised him and his friends regular payments in exchange for using their vehicles in film shoots, but he never paid them and avoided their calls. Realizing they had been cheated, one of the victims reported the fraud to the Malvani police station.
The police, under the direction of Deputy Commissioner of Police Anand Bhoite and Senior Inspector Chimaji Adhav, arrested Singh a few days after the complaint. During interrogation, it was revealed that Singh had tricked many others in a similar manner. He sold the stolen vehicles in states like Solapur, Gujarat, and Goa.
Singh told buyers that the vehicle owners were abroad and that the paperwork would be completed upon their return. He would then take their money and disappear. Police are still searching for the remaining two vehicles.
Singh, originally from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, had been living in a rented apartment in Malvani for the past two years. When people started visiting his house to demand their vehicles back, he fled to his village. His parents have been informed of his arrest, and their involvement is also under investigation.
Police are continuing their efforts to recover the final two vehicles and are investigating whether others were involved in the scam.