Mumbai Crime: Conmen dupe cabbie looking to buy car online

Shahrukh, the main accused in the case

The Andheri police are on the lookout for three men who promised to sell a car to the 26-year-old driver attached to a cab aggregator, but instead, fled with the cash paid for the vehicle.

According to the police, the complainant Shadab Khan was interested in buying a ‘Wagon R' car that was put up for sale on OLX. The advertisement was posted on May 16 by a man named Shahrukh who claimed to be a resident of Andheri East. "Khan called the cell phone number provided in the advertisement and spoke to Shahrukh, who told him he could check out the car if he came to Andheri," said an officer.

The duo also negotiated the selling price of the vehicle, which was fixed at Rs 2.5 lakh, with an additional charge of Rs 30,000 towards paperwork. On Tuesday, Khan and his friend went to Andheri carrying the cash in a plastic bag. "They were called to the Saiwadi area near Gokhale bridge where they met Shahrukh and were then sent near AF Care Dental Clinic to meet two of his accomplices," the officer said.

According to the officer, the two men told Khan that the car was parked on the opposite road, but they needed to get the documents of the car to complete the paperwork. "They asked Khan to hand over the cash while they went to fetch the keys and documents," the officer from Andheri police station said, adding that Khan trusted the men and gave them the money.

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Khan waited at the location for some time but no one returned. He tried calling Shahrukh but his phone was switched off. Khan also searched approximately 3 km around the area for Shahrukh and visited Andheri station as well, but couldn't find him. He then approached the police and registered a complaint against the trio. "We have registered an FIR and are investigating further to identify the men," the officer said.

Speaking to mid-day, Khan said he is the only earning member in his family and was trying to save up for his younger sister's wedding in November. "I used to drive a car owned by someone else and had managed to collect enough money to buy my own vehicle. I wanted to buy it in time to earn some extra money and save up for the wedding," he said.

Rs 2.5 lakh
Amount that had been fixed for the Wagon R