Maha vehicle racket: Two Beed RTO officials arrested

Thane police Friday said that it had arrested two RTO officials from Maharashtra's Beed district in connection with a vehicle racket that reportedly runs into several crore rupees.

Thane police had, in August, unearthed the racket which involved the sale of defective cars to customers with the help of fake sale and manufacturing certificates.

Police, at the time, had arrested Navi Mumbai-resident Sachin Sonawane, who allegedly used to purchase cars with some defects from Mumbai-based car dealers and sell them to unsuspecting buyers by sprucing them up.

A Beed RTO agent, Sayyed Shakir, was also arrested for allegedly preparing fake sale certificates and manufacturing certificates of the cars and getting them registered there, police had said in August.

Addressing a press conference Friday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deepak Deoraj said that Beed RTO Inspectors Rajendra Nikam and Nilesh Nilesh Bhagure were arrested on September 25.

He said that Nikam and Bhagure had facilitated the registration of such vehicles at the Beed RTO.

Deoraj said that the value of the 34 cars seized so far in connection with the racket was Rs 2.24 crore, adding that the state exchequer had lost Rs 31.77 lakh in sales tax as well.

The racket possibly extends to states like Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh and a probe was on in this regard, Deoraj said.

A case has been registered in this connection at Narpoli police station in Bhiwandi in the district, an official said.