18 February 2008

CID prompt action helps a duped man get his car back

Prompt action on the part of Director of General Department of Criminal Investigation, Brig Khamis Mattar Al Mazina, has helped an Indian national get back his car from a fellow compatriot who had literally taken him for a ride.

According to the details of the case, M.P. had sold his Dubai-registered car, Toyota Corolla 2007 model, to his friend K.S.S. in April 2007, who handed over three cheques for the amounts agreed upon.

Initially, K.S.S. had agreed to buy the car along with the transfer of the car loan to his name and had issued three cheques — two bank cheques of Dh1,244 each, and another for the remaining loan balance of Dh63,444.

“After two months, K.S.S. made various excuses and asked me to wait a while before depositing the cheques,” said M.P.

Meanwhile, M.P. kept on following up with K.S.S. for his money and even requested his friend not to use the car, but the latter ignored the requests.

During the period K.S.S. also met with several road accidents, which affected and lowered the value of the car drastically. In October 2007, when the car registration renewal was due, M.P. asked K.S.S. not to apply for renewal until he had paid up the balance amount.

However, M.P. claimed that K.S.S. tricked him by using his passport and licence copies to renew the car registration without his knowledge or consent.

It was then that M.P. decided to present the cheques to the bank, but to his dismay the cheques bounced because K.S.S. had already closed his bank account in June 2004.

“K.S.S. had apparently pre-planned everything to cheat me by not giving the money or returning the car,” alleged M.P. and he decided to go to the Naif Police Station to lodge a complaint. The police asked M.P. to furnish a letter from the bank concerned for verification of signatures. But the local bank declined to issue any such letter due to lack of file records of an account that had been closed for over three years. As a result, M.P. was initially unable to register a case of fraud and cheating against K.S.S.

However, K.S.S. was subsequently asked to come to the police station for questioning and taken into custody in connection with the alleged fraud.

But K.S.S. was later released when he agreed to amicably settle the matter and return the car and M.P. agreed not to press charges. Source

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