OLX fraud racket busted: Ahmedabad LCB Zone-5 recovers goods worth ₹15 lakh, solves 6 cases

The Local Crime Branch (LCB), Zone-5 of Ahmedabad city, has arrested a 42-year-old man accused of carrying out a series of frauds and thefts by exploiting online classified advertisements on OLX, and has recovered stolen property worth ₹15.87 lakh. The arrest has led to the detection of six previously undetected cases of cheating, breach of trust and theft registered across multiple police stations in Gujarat.

Acting on a tip-off, a team led by PSI K.K. Jadeja was patrolling the Ramol police station area when they intercepted and detained the accused, identified as Sureshkumar Nathalal Thummar alias Patel, a resident of Ramol. He is originally from Bhojalpara village in Amreli district.

During the search, police recovered a large cache of high-value electronic items allegedly stolen or obtained through fraud. The seized articles include an Apple MacBook Pro laptop valued at ₹2.5 lakh, two ASUS laptops worth ₹80,000, two mobile phones, a DJI Air 3 drone with its system valued at ₹1.5 lakh, and 17 premium audio devices and headphones of various international brands. The total value of the seized property has been estimated at ₹15.87lakh.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to targeting individuals who posted advertisements on the OLX platform to sell electronic items. Police said he would contact sellers using false names, express interest in purchasing the product, and collect personal details. In several cases, he would visit the seller’s residence when they were away, claiming that a deal had already been finalised and that payment would be made after checking the item. He would then leave with the goods without making any payment. In other instances, he allegedly persuaded sellers to leave items unattended, promising online payment later, before fleeing with the property.

Further investigation revealed that the recovered items were linked to six undetected cases registered at Narol, Chandkheda and Odhav police stations in Ahmedabad, Panigate police station in Vadodara city, Bharuch City ‘B’ Division police station, and Utran police station in Surat. These cases have been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, pertaining to cheating, criminal breach of trust and theft.

Police also stated that the accused has a prior criminal record, with cases registered against him in Dahegam police station in Gandhinagar district in 2020, and Naswadi police station in Chhota Udepur district in 2024, involving similar offences.

The accused has been arrested under the provisions of BNS, 2023, and further investigation is underway to ascertain whether he was involved in additional cases of online fraud.

Police officials said efforts are on to return the recovered property to the rightful owners.