After two years, Bandra police traced and arrested a car dealer on Wednesday (August 13) for allegedly cheating a businessman and fleeing with a luxury Mercedes-Benz car. The vehicle has been recovered, but it was found in a completely damaged state on Saturday, said police.

The complainant, Jay Ashok Talreja, a Bandra resident who runs a business in new and resale cars, alleged that the accused, Sajid Shaikh from Navi Mumbai, also in the second-hand car trade, duped him in 2023.  “I have been dealing in old and new vehicles in Bandra for many years. In 2023, Shaikh contacted me to purchase a second-hand Mercedes. I quoted him Rs 30 lakh, and he agreed. He sent a man to pick up the car but never paid me,” Talreja told mid-day.

Jay Talreja

“After a month, when I followed up, he said he had sold the car to someone else and would pay me after receiving the money. Later, I received a challan for a traffic violation involving my car, which made me realise it was still being used. That’s when I lodged an FIR with Bandra police (in 2023),” he added.

When the vehicle was finally recovered, Talreja found it in terrible shape. “The side glass was broken, the engine was not working, and the interiors were damaged. The car is nothing but scrap. Repairing it will cost a huge amount,” he said. Investigating officer PSI Nitin Bhor of Bandra police station said, “We have arrested the accused from Navi Mumbai in the cheating case and recovered the car. He was later released on bail by the court.”

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