The Whitefield police on Thursday arrested three youths who allegedly set up a fake movers and packers company online to cheat people looking to transport their vehicles. The police seized a car, two bikes and bill books used by the accused: Shivakumar, 20, Sandeep, 21, and Pradeep, 19. Two other suspects, Deepak Sharma and Rajesh Tinka, are on the run.
According to the police, the gang targeted people who searched for movers and packers online. They would approach potential customers with huge discounts to transport their cars and bikes. After a customer wired the money to their bank account, the gang would come to collect the vehicle.
“The accused would demand more money from their customers who would call them after realising that their vehicles had not reached the destination,” said a police officer. It was only after the customers paid up were the vehicles delivered. In some cases, the accused did not deliver the vehicles, said the police.
The police cracked the case while investigating a complaint by a private firm employee who had been duped by the gang. “With their arrest, the police have detected five cheating cases registered in police stations across the city,” said D. Devaraj, DCP, Whitefield. Efforts are on to trace Sharma and Tinka.
