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RAWALPINDI: A massive scam defrauding customers nearly Rs250 million on the pretext of purchasing them a car has been exposed in Rawalpindi.
Shakeel Ahmed, a property dealer and resident of Chontra area, narrated his ordeal to MM News and said he has been scammed. He said three months ago, he visited the office of a company named Ali Corporate Automobile Pvt Ltd in City Centre Rawalpindi after seeing an advertisement on social media that cars were being offered at six percent markup.
When he arrived, an office attendant made him meet Nawab Khan s/o Rummanuddin who was a resident of Yusufabad, Peshawar. Nawab Khan told him to submit a down payment of Rs350,000 for a vehicle worth 1.5 million rupees and provide one guarantor. Upon verification, the car will be purchased and handed over to him. Shakeel said he gave the advance deposit in cash to Nawab Khan and was told to submit the details of the guarantor and he left after filing a form.
On December 8, Shakeel said he received a call that the company was a scam and he should reach the City Centre. When he arrived, he was shocked to see there were 120 other complainants who had also been defrauded in the elaborate scam.
It was later revealed that the company had defrauded 600 people in a scam worth Rs250 million. The fraudsters then escaped with the money and closed their office. They have been involved in similar scams and no one has been returned the amount or given the vehicle.
The victims claimed that an FIR has been lodged against six persons but Rawalpindi Cantonment police have arrested only one suspect. They said the SHO Cantonment has not arrested the other five suspects and instead threatened them that case does not fall under their jurisdiction.
The victims said they contacted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) who said the case investigation was the responsibility of the police. They said the police is not taking any action against the perpetrators.
The victims have appealed to Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, Inspector General Punjab and CCPO Rawalpindi to take notice and arrest the culprits and return their amounts for defrauding innocent people of their hard-earned income.
