Kangra, August 9 –Dehra police have recovered 15 of 17 vehicles linked to a large-scale fraud that had been operating across Kangra district since 2023. The case came to light in January this year after Ajay Kumar lodged a collective complaint about 10 missing cars at the Lagru police post under Khundian police station in Jwalaji sub-division.
Following the FIR, SP Mayank Choudhary formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Jwalaji DSP RP Jaswal. The probe revealed the fraud extended beyond the original complaint, involving 17 vehicles.
Police arrested Rataneshwar Singh, owner of ‘R Beez Car Rentals’ from Chalali village, on April 2. He was sent to judicial custody but later released on bail by the Additional Sessions Judge, Dehra. His accomplices — Parveen from Amritsar and Gurvinder from Chandigarh — remain absconding.
The accused allegedly convinced people to buy new cars with the promise of leasing them to government offices for profit. After making a few initial payments, the cars were secretly sold in neighbouring states at half the market value.
The scam’s success in Kangra has triggered similar complaints in Hamirpur, Bhawarna, Dharamsala, Baijnath, Nagrota Bagwan and other parts of Himachal Pradesh.
“Out of 17 vehicles, 15 have been recovered. We are hopeful of tracing the remaining two,” SP Choudhary said. A team led by ASI Raman of Lagru police post is pursuing strong leads.
