Scam came to light when original owners approached police when they didn’t get their cars back; police said that the accused would pawn the cars he rented to unsuspecting buyers, leaving the original owners without their vehicles
Accused Pravin Misal, 37
The MHB police in Borvli have arrested a man identified as Pravin Misal, 37, for allegedly running a car mortgage scam. Police said Misal rented cars from people and fraudulently mortgaged them to third parties to fund his lavish lifestyle. Police said that the accused would pawn the cars he rented to unsuspecting buyers, leaving the original owners without their vehicles.
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The scam came to light after multiple complaints were filed by victims who never got their cars back. One of the complainants, a 27-year-old man who was also in the second-hand car trading business, first met Misal in 2023. According to the complainant, Misal contacted him last year, requesting a car on rent for 10 days. Since Misal had previously rented vehicles from him, he trusted him and handed over his Creta car for R30,000 at a rate of Rs 3000 per day.
However, when the rental period ended, Misal failed to return the vehicle. Upon being contacted, he extended the rental for another 15 days and paid an advance of R5000, further deceiving the complainant. When the second deadline passed, Misal stopped answering calls, raising suspicion.
“The complainant launched his own inquiry and discovered that Misal had mortgaged his car to a woman in Dahisar. When he contacted her, she informed him that the vehicle had already been returned. Further investigation revealed that Misal had scammed multiple individuals in the same manner—renting cars, mortgaging them, and spending the money on his extravagant lifestyle,” a police officer said. Police said that the Creta owner approached them in November last year and registered a complaint against Misal, following which an investigation was launched.
The officer attached to the MHB police station said that notices were issued to the accused to appear before them; however, as Misal failed to appear, he was arrested on February 28. “The police traced him and arrested him after taking permission from the court,” said the officer. The provision of punishment under the relevant sections registered against the accused is under seven years.
Police said they have recorded the statement of the woman from Dahisar. Another victim has also approached the MHB police station, confirming that Misal had used the same scheme to cheat him. According to the police, the accused has duped over half a dozen people with this scam. The officer mentioned above said that Misal has been arrested and an FIR has been filed against him based on the complaint from the Creta owner. “The police are now working to identify more victims and recover the scammed vehicle,” the officer added.
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