Pimpri: Four individuals have been arrested for allegedly duping a man out of ₹80 lakh by falsely claiming high profits in the buying and selling of used cars.

The accused reportedly brought rental vehicles under the pretense of selling them and used forged RTO smart cards to convince the victim of the authenticity of the transactions.

The complaint was filed by Pratik Rajesh Shinde, 29, a resident of Chinchwad, at the Chikhali Police Station.

The accused have been identified as Nikhil Rajendra Kute from Kutewada, Akurdi, Atul Balveer Mund from Viveknagar, Akurdi, Siddhesh Sambhaji Hindalekar from Pradhikaran, Nigdi, and Deepak Ramsurat Yadav, 28, from Giriraj Society, Bijlinagar.

The fraudulent activities allegedly took place between October 23, 2023, and April 12, 2024, in the Mahatma Phule Nagar area of Chikhali. According to police reports, the accused gained Shinde's trust by promising significant profits in the trade of used cars.

They claimed to have obtained cars on rent from two individuals, Sumit Kavade and Rahul Kale, presenting the vehicles as if they were for sale.

A total of 13 cars from various companies were handed over to Shinde, with the accused falsely claiming that they had been authorized to sell them.

To solidify their deception, they provided fake smart cards from the Regional Transport Office (RTO), leading the complainant to believe the deal was legitimate.

Shinde paid ₹80.65 lakh in installments for these vehicles. It was only later that he discovered the smart cards were fake, at which point he demanded his money back.

When the accused refused to return the funds, Shinde approached the police for help. The investigation is being led by Sub-inspector Devkar.