Bengaluru Police Bust Forged RC Racket, Seize Vehicles Worth ₹2 Crore

The Wilson Garden police in Bengaluru have dismantled an alleged racket that used forged vehicle registration cards (RCs), bank no-objection certificates and counterfeit seals of government offices to sell vehicles to unsuspecting buyers. Ten cars and a two-wheeler, together valued at around ₹2 crore, have been seized.

The case began with a complaint filed on September 3 by Naushad Khan, a resident of Mehboob Layout in Umar Nagar. Khan told police that a car dealer had shown him photographs of an SUV and asked him to pay ₹20,000 as advance to an associate. The vehicle was later handed over to him near Wilson Garden Park along with an RC card, which he found to be fake on verification.

Investigators questioned an associate of the dealer on September 14. He allegedly disclosed that the gang had been preparing forged RCs, bank NOCs and seals of government offices and officials, and using them to sell vehicles. Police seized forged RCs, a machine allegedly used to make the cards, government seals, stamp papers, a computer and a printer. The accused was produced in court and remanded to nine days of police custody, during which he gave information about the car dealer and others in the racket.

Acting on further leads, police questioned another associate on September 21. He allegedly confessed to his involvement and said vehicles sold with forged RCs had been parked in the open near BTS Road. A raid at the spot led to the seizure of nine cars, one two-wheeler and forged RCs, besides the SUV bought by the complainant. A third associate was taken into custody near Double Road on September 22 and also allegedly confessed to his role.

Police identified the accused as Somesh, 46, a bank agent and resident of Kengeri Satellite Town who is named in two cheating cases at Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station; Santosh S. alias Appu, 37, a real estate businessman from Jnanabharathi; and Prabhakar, 43, a car dealer and resident of Soladevanahalli who figures in two cheating cases at Adugodi and Jalahalli police stations. The main car dealer and some other suspects are absconding, and police teams are searching for them.

In a separate case, the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police arrested Guruprasad P., 44, a car dealer from Ullal, for allegedly selling pledged vehicles to unsuspecting buyers. Twenty-three vehicles worth ₹1.51 crore were seized from him. Cases had earlier been registered against him at Wilson Garden, Adugodi, Subramanyapura, Jnanabharathi and other police stations.

The latest case followed a complaint on August 13, 2026, by Ajay Kumar, 29, a resident of NGIF Layout in Nagarabhavi. Ajay said he had bought a car through a loan and, facing financial difficulties, handed over the vehicle and documents to the accused in July 2025 on the assurance that the loan would be cleared. When the loan was not repaid and the vehicle was not returned, he was allegedly threatened. Guruprasad was arrested from his residence at Vishweshwaraiah Layout in Ullal on August 30, produced in court on August 31 and taken into 12 days of police custody. He allegedly told investigators that he took pledged vehicles as collateral for loans and later pledged or sold them for profit. Police recovered 14 cars, one goods vehicle, two autorickshaws and six two-wheelers between September 1 and 21, with a total estimated value of ₹1.51 crore. Efforts are on to trace his associates and identify other affected owners and buyers.

City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh advised people to verify documents thoroughly before buying secondhand vehicles at low prices. Police have also asked the Transport Department to upgrade the security features of vehicle documents to prevent forgery.