A 35-year-old man was arrested by the St. Thomas Mount police for allegedly taking a second-hand BMW car after paying an advance of ₹1 lakh and failing to pay the remaining ₹9 lakh.
The police said the complainant, Haja Nazimudeen, 42, of Haji Street, Alandur, is engaged in buying and selling used cars. The accused, Karthikeyan of Adambakkam, had been his customer for the past three years.
Based on their acquaintance, Nazimudeen agreed to sell his BMW to Karthikeyan for ₹10 lakh. After receiving ₹1 lakh as advance, he handed over the car to Karthikeyan near the Kathipara flyover in Guindy on June 26. Karthikeyan allegedly promised to pay the remaining ₹9 lakh later but failed to do so despite repeated demands.
Nazimudeen then tracked the location of the car through a mobile application and went to Arani to make enquiries. He reportedly found Karthikeyan had mortgaged the BMW with a man named Vignesh for ₹5 lakh.
Based on Nazimudeen’s complaint, the crime wing of St. Thomas Mount police registered a case under cheating and other relevant sections and launched an investigation.
A police team arrested Karthikeyan after confirming the allegations. The BMW was recovered from Arani, and two mobile phones allegedly used by the accused in the offence were seized. The police also said that Karthikeyan had four previous cheating cases against him.
Published – September 25, 2026 03:45 pm IST
