Bengaluru: The Koramangala police have busted a two-wheeler theft racket and arrested two people in this connection. According to the police, they used to approach the prospective two-wheeler sellers on the e-commerce site OLX and later steal the vehicle. The police have cracked five such cases.
The arrested have been identified as Mohammed Saleem (29) and Ayyappa (27), both residents of Bengaluru. Police said that the duo used to target people who had posted advertisements on OLX for the sale of two-wheelers. Posing as customers, they used to approach the gullible owners, win their confidence and then flee with the vehicle and the documents.
They later used to sell the vehicle. The incident came to light on June 17, when a victim, identified as Nikhil, approached the police and registered a cheating complaint. The police formed a team and laid a trap, which led to the arrest of Saleem and Ayyappa.
During investigation, the police found that the duo used to approach the owners of two wheelers based on advertisements on OLX. After meeting the vehicle owners and winning their confidence, one of them used to ask for the vehicle documents under the pretext of getting a photo copy, while the other used to take the vehicle for a test ride. The duo then used to flee the spot.
Later they used to sell the same vehicle under their name and keep the money, mentioned the police officer. The Koramangala police have seized over five bikes worth Rs 5 lakh and are investigating further.
Rise in online cheating
Cheating on OLX and other e-commerce sites are on the rise and people, especially those looking to quickly sell their belongings, are increasingly becoming the victims.
On Thursday two students from Christ College approached a man, who was offering to sell a dog pup on OLX, but got duped. They were planning to give the pup to their friend as birthday gift. They met the person who had posted the ad.
The two also bought a cage and bed for the pup and paid Rs 7,000 in cash to the person, who met them at Forum mall.
They requested him to deliver the pup with the bed and cage to their friend’s house. The man readily agreed and went with the cash along with the bag and cage. But few hours later when they called their friend to check, they realised they have been duped. The Adugodi police have taken up the case of cheating and further investigating.
Earlier this month, the HAL police had arrested a 19-year-old student who had duped a techie and made away with his SUV under the pretext of taking it for a test drive.
