80 cars gone in two years: Kasaragod man renting, reselling cars arrested

Kasaragod: A 44-year-old man accused of running what police describe as a multi-crore vehicle theft racket -- leasing cars, subletting them and eventually selling them off illegally across Kerala -- has been arrested by Vidyanagar Police after an investigation that began with the disappearance of four vehicles belonging to a woman and her relatives.

The accused, Shamsudheen Mohammad, a native of Kushal Nagar in Kanhangad, was arrested by a team led by Vidyanagar Station House Officer M P Vineesh. "During our questioning, he admitted to selling off 80 cars over the past two years from Kasaragod district alone," said Inspector Vineesh.

The case has been registered under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property. But this is a plain car heist, said sub-inspector Anoop S of Vidyanagar station. “This is not a small cheating case. It is a well-networked vehicle diversion racket with links extending to multiple districts,” he said. “The big fish are in Ernakulam. Our investigation points towards a wider network operating out of Ernakulam with statewide tentacles.”

According to police, the racket preyed on both affluent car owners and middle-class families seeking a steady monthly income through informal private vehicle leasing arrangements, a practice that is not legally permitted.

The modus operandi was deceptively simple. Shamsudheen would approach vehicle owners and take cars on lease for periods of two or three months, offering attractive monthly payments, often around ₹60,000 for SUVs and new vehicles. In several cases, other agents sourced the vehicles for him. In others, he dealt directly with owners.

Police said the vehicles were then sublet to others at higher rates before eventually being moved to districts such as Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kannur and sold off through another network.

Police said Shamsudheen mentioned one Noufal from Thalangara in Kasaragod town as one of his partners who took cars from him and delivered them in Kochi. "But we found that Shamsudheen had other agents too," he said. The problem is that private vehicle leasing itself operates in a grey and often illegal space. "That complicates the matter when the vehicles disappear,” the sub-inspector said.

Police said many of the vehicles targeted were relatively new, including Thar SUVs, Innovas, Balenos and Swifts, less than two years old.
The original complainant and her relatives alone lost four cars -- a Thar, two Balenos and a Swift.

After the arrest became public, more victims started approaching police stations. “When we arrested him, two men from Melparamba police station limits came forward saying their two Thar vehicles had also been taken by Shamsudheen,” said SI Anoop.

Cases have already been registered against Shamsudheen in Vidyanagar, Kasaragod Town, Bekal and Badiadka police station limits in Kasaragod district, apart from North Paravur in Ernakulam district, said Inspector Vineesh.

Investigators say Shamsudheen often went into hiding once the original owners started asking for their vehicles. “How exactly the vehicles were sold without proper ownership transfer documents is part of what we are now probing,” said SI Anoop. “We need custodial interrogation to identify the chain of agents, handlers and buyers.”

Police suspect many buyers knowingly purchased the vehicles at throwaway prices after forged or manipulated documents were arranged through intermediaries. The investigation has also revealed that GPS systems installed in some vehicles were disconnected soon after the cars changed hands.

Despite that, the Vidyanagar police have managed to trace two of the complainant's missing vehicles. One Baleno was traced to the Mundakayam police station limits in Kottayam district. Another Swift was tracked to Wadakkanchery in Thrissur last week after police learnt that agents were attempting to sell it again.

"The people using the Baleno realised police were tailing them and abandoned the car before fleeing. They had changed the number plate, but the owner recognised the vehicle," said SI Anoop. The owner used her spare key to take possession of the car.

Police say several agents across Kasaragod, Kannur, Thrissur and Ernakulam were involved in sourcing, transporting and disposing of the vehicles. “There are many middlemen in this racket,” said the SI. And the police have just scratched the surface.