MUMBAI: Renowned car designer Dilip Chhabria was arrested by the Mumbai police’s crime branch for allegedly obtaining loans fraudulently, cheating, and forgery. According to the police, the crime branch unit was tipped-off about a two-seater DC Avanti sports car bearing bogus number arriving at the Trident Hotel in Nariman Point on December 18.
“The car did not arrive on December 18, but the next day. Investigations revealed that the same engine and chassis numbers were shared by two cars – one registered in Haryana and the other in Chennai. Our probe pointed out that car designer Dilip Chhabria’s company Dilip Chhabria’s Car Design Pvt Ltd had designed and produced the cars at a Pune plant,” a press not from the police stated.
Dilip Chhabria has sold 120 DC Avani cars in India and abroad. “Dilip Chhabria’s firm fraudulently obtained loans for 90 cars. The average loan amount is around Rs 42 lakh per car. The crime branch is investigating the extent of loss to the exchequer in terms of taxes,” said the note.
A complaint was filed against Chhabria by five clients on December 19. Chhabria is an ace car designer, having offered his services to several celebrities. He owns vehicles like Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Aston Martin Vanquish. He also owned a BMW X6 M, which he reportedly sold to Yuvraj Singh.