The Wilson Garden police in Bengaluru have busted a gang allegedly involved in forging vehicle registration cards (RCs), bank NOCs, and official seals to sell vehicles to unsuspecting customers. They have seized 10 cars and a two-wheeler totally valued at around ₹2 crore.
The case came to light after Naushad Khan, a resident of Mehboob Layout at Umar Nagar, filed a complaint at the Wilson Garden police station on September 3, alleging that he had been cheated in a car deal.
According to the complaint, a car dealer showed him photographs of an SUV claiming that the vehicle was for sale. Naushad was told to pay an advance of ₹20,000 to an associate of the car dealer. The vehicle was later brought near Wilson Garden Park, and handed over to him along with an RC card.
However, upon checking, Naushad allegedly found that the RC card was fake. He approached the police.
During the investigation, police questioned one of the dealer’s associates on September 14. The accused allegedly revealed that the gang had been forging RCs, bank NOCs, and seals of government offices and officials, and using the documents to sell vehicles.
Police seized forged RCs, a machine allegedly used to prepare the cards, seals of government offices and officials, stamp papers, a computer, and a printer from the accused.
The accused was produced in court, and was remanded to nine days in police custody. During questioning, he provided information about the car dealer and other persons involved in the alleged racket.
Based on the information, police questioned another associate of the car dealer on September 21. He allegedly confessed to his involvement and told police that vehicles sold using forged RCs had been parked in an open place near BTS Road.
Police raided the location. They seized nine cars and one two-wheeler, besides recovering forged RCs. The SUV purchased by the complainant was also seized.
The total value of the seized vehicles is estimated to be around ₹2 crore.
Another associate was taken into custody near Double Road on September 22, and questioned. He too confessed to his involvement in the alleged racket.
Police identified the accused as Somesh, 46, a bank agent; Santosh S. alias Appu, 37, a real estate businessman; and Prabhakar, 43, a car dealer.
Somesh is a resident of Kengeri Satellite Town. He is named in two cases of cheating registered at Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station, according to the police.
Prabhakar is a resident of Soladevanahalli. He is named in two cases of cheating registered at Adugodi and Jalahalli police stations.
Santosh is a resident of Jnanabharathi.
The main car dealer and some other persons allegedly involved in the racket are absconding. Police teams are trying to track them down.
Car dealer sold pledged vehicles
In another case, the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police have arrested a 44-year-old car dealer for allegedly selling pledged vehicles to unsuspecting buyers. The police have seized 23 vehicles worth ₹1.51 crore from him.
The accused has been identified as Guruprasad P., 44, son of Puttaswamyappa, a car dealer and resident of Ullal, Bengaluru.
Police said cases have previously been registered against him at Wilson Garden, Adugodi, Subramanyapura, Jnanabharathi, and other police stations.
The latest case was registered following a complaint filed on August 13, 2026, by Ajay Kumar, 29, a resident of NGIF Layout, Nagarabhavi.
According to the complaint, Ajay had purchased a new car through a loan. Due to financial difficulties, he handed over the vehicle, along with the relevant documents, to the accused in July 2025 after being assured that the loan would be cleared.
However, the accused allegedly failed to repay the loan or return the vehicle. When Ajay asked him to return the car, he was allegedly threatened.
Based on his complaint, the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police registered a cheating case and began investigating.
As part of the probe, police arrested Guruprasad from his residence at Vishweshwaraiah Layout in Ullal on August 30, and questioned him. He allegedly confessed to carrying out the offence along with other associates. The accused was produced in court on August 31, and was taken into police custody for 12 days.
During interrogation, he allegedly disclosed that he had been taking pledged vehicles as collateral in return for a loan, and subsequently pledging or selling the vehicles to other persons for a profit.
Based on information provided by the accused, police traced the purchasers and recovered 14 cars, one goods vehicle, two autorickshaws, and six two-wheelers between September 1 and 21.
The total value of the seized vehicles has been estimated to be ₹1.51 crore. Police are trying to trace the associates of the accused and to identify other vehicle owners and purchasers who may have been affected.
City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh has advised people to verify documents thoroughly before thinking of buying a secondhand vehicle at cheap rates. Police also asked the Transport Department to upgrade the security features of vehicle documents to prevent forgery.
Published – September 23, 2026 05:01 pm IST
