Bhubaneswar: Selling a two-wheeler on platforms like OLX is considered a hassle-free, transparent and safe process, but it may not be the same anymore as miscreants are using such platforms to commit thefts.
Recently, police arrested a man identified as S Amit Patra, a resident of Ganjam, for stealing two-wheelers from sellers after meeting them through OLX.
According to police, Amit reportedly used to fix a place for test drive with the vehicle owner and later flee from the spot along with the two-wheelers. To gain the trust of sellers, Amit used to pay some cash in advance before going for the test drive.
“He took the vehicle from my sister for a test drive and later fled the spot. When I called him he received the call and said that he is coming back, but he switched off his phone later,” a complainant Swagatika Mohapatra said.
Patra, who has completed education only till Class 10, has stolen multiple vehicles from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri by using the same tactics. Commissionerate Police seized as many as 16 vehicles after launching a probe based on multiple complaints lodged at Laxmisagar, Nayapalli and Lingaraj police stations in Bhubaneswar.
Police informed that Amit, after stealing the vehicles, used to sell them to a particular garage owner in Nayagarh for which he used to get Rs 10,000 each. “After this incident, people will become more cautious,” DCP of Bhubaneswar, Anup Sahu, said.
Admitting his crime, the accused said, “I stole the two-wheelers after gaining the trust of the sellers. Later, I sold them in Nayagarh.”