Man rents an SUV, allegedly pawns the vehicle for 1 lakh, police register a cheating case

A man who rented an SUV in Ahmedabad allegedly mortgaged the vehicle to a furniture shop owner in Nikol after taking it for a self-drive, leading to a police complaint for cheating and breach of trust.

The complaint, filed by Chirag Baldevbhai Parmar, a resident of Bapunagar and proprietor of a self-drive car rental agency located in Chandkheda area, states that a Mahindra Thar was given on rent to a person identified as Ajay Prahladbhai Thakor on April 10. 

Parmar, along with his associate Jigar Solanki, arranged the rental after Thakor contacted them through a listing on Just Dial, claiming he needed a black SUV for his nephew’s Garba ceremony. After providing copies of his Aadhaar card and driving licence, Thakor paid Rs 7,000 for 24 hours' rent and a Rs 15,000 deposit.

However, after the rental period ended, Thakor failed to return the vehicle. Repeated attempts to contact him were unsuccessful, with his phone numbers found switched off. Using the vehicle’s GPS tracker, Parmar and Solanki traced the SUV to the Tree Wood Furniture shop near Khodiyar Mandir in Nikol.

Upon inquiry, the shop owner, Jai Singh, revealed that Thakor had pawned the Mahindra Thar to him for Rs 1 lakh, claiming ownership of the vehicle.

Realising they had been deceived, Parmar approached Chankheda police station and filed a formal complaint. Based on his statement, police have registered a case against Ajay Prahladbhai Thakor for cheating and breach of trust. Authorities have begun investigating the case and are attempting to locate the accused.