PUNE: A

resident was arrested by the city police on Friday for duping several people on the pretext of selling his scooter and then stealing the vehicle from buyers using a duplicate key after receiving money from them.

Police said Darshan Jaykumar Agrawal (34) would post advertisements on an e-commerce website to sell his scooter. After being approached by a prospective buyer, he would hand over the scooter in exchange for money with the promise to deliver the vehicle papers at a later date.

He would keep a tab on the buyer’s daily routine and use a duplicate key to steal the vehicle. Then he would again post another advertisement on the e-commerce site.

Investigators have so far established three instances of cheating relating to the same scooter. Police have recovered another six scooters from his possession. They suspect these two-wheelers had also been used to dupe people.

Agrawal managed to pull off the trick on two buyers since May this year. But his luck ran out on the third attempt when Rahul Nathuji Kumeriya of Wadgaon Sheri lodged a complaint with the Yerawada police on November 22. He was arrested in Nashik by a team comprising inspector Ajay Waghmare and assistant inspector Balbhim Nanaware.

“Kumeriya stated in his complaint that he took the scooter to his office after purchasing it from Agrawal. He then called Agrawal near his office to collect the remaining payment. After receiving the amount, Kumeriya went to his office, but Agrawal went to the office parking and drove away on the scooter,” Nanaware said.

Scooter sold online twice, stolen back

Police said Agrawal had carried out similar crimes at Wagholi and in Pimple Nilakh areas of Pune.

Police studied the bank account of Agrawal and the sources from where money was deposited in the last six months. On contacting these sources, they realised that two buyers were cheated in a similar manner on previous occasions, and they have registered complaints with Lonikand police in Pune rural and Sangvi in Pimpri Chinchwad police commissionerate.

The police said Agrawal was a successful grain merchant in Pune city but took to crime in May to make easy money. He also shifted base from Pune to Nashik. “This particular vehicle is in the name of his wife,” he said.