Mumbai:

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has arrested seven people for allegedly using fake Aadhaar and PAN cards to purchase and resell luxurious vehicles, defrauding several people and banks in a racket that spanned multiple states, officials said on Monday. 

The accused, four of whom already have criminal records, purchased cars worth Rs 7.30 crore in the city. Sixteen cars, including a BMW convertible and eight Fortuners, have been seized so far and the number could increase to 35, the officials added. 

Explaining the modus operandi, one of the officials said the accused managed to obtain the PAN card details of several traders, using their GST numbers, and then created fake PAN and Aadhaar cards. Using the details, they checked the traders’ CIBIL scores. Businessmen with good CIBIL scores were targeted as their details were used to obtain loans from banks.

The accused, however, pasted their photographs on the bank documents. With the loan money, the accused brought luxurious cards and sold them through agents in Delhi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh after changing the engine and chassis numbers, the official said. 

A thorough probe is underway, the official added.