COIMBATORE: The Ukkadam Police are conducting investigations into a convoluted cheating case involving three men, two cars and ‘fake notes’.
Police said M Basheer (27) from Athupalam in the city, a second-hand car dealer, had alerted them on Thursday night about one Ranjith from Thrissur, Kerala, who had fled with a car pledged to him. While paying him, Ranjith cheated him by keeping blank paper along with Rs 1,000 notes in a box with the ‘cash’ payment.
Ranjith had taken one of two cars that one Rafiq, also from Thrissur, had pledged with him last year for Rs 3 lakh, which he had paid in cash.
Rafiq, police said, had rented these two cars from Ranjith, who is running a transport company in Thrissur. He had brought them to Coimbatore, pledged them with Basheer, and escaped with the money.
Ranjith later came to Coimbatore and demanded that Basheer return the two cars. However, Basheer told Ranjith that he would return the cars when he got the money he had given to Rafiq.
On Thursday night, Ranjith produced a box containing some money and Basheer released one of the cars. But soon Basheer found that most of the ‘currency’ in the box was just blank paper, over which Ranjith had kept Rs 1,000 notes. Basheer then alerted the police control room and chased the car which Ranjith had taken away.
Ukkadam police have now registered cases against Ranjith, Basheer and Rafiq, and and are investigating the incident.