Mumbai: A BMW car was fraudulently transferred using fake documents and forged signatures at the Regional Transport Office (RTO). The same vehicle was later seized by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) while being used for drug trafficking. During the investigation, the fraud was uncovered, leading to a case being registered at Tardeo Police Station.
The case was filed based on a complaint by Sudhir Jayabhaye (50), Deputy Regional Transport Officer at the Andheri RTO. According to Jayabhaye, he previously worked as an Assistant Regional Transport Officer at the Central RTO and was responsible for vehicle registrations.
On August 2, 2022, the Maharashtra ATS registered a case related to drug trafficking and arrested two accused, Parvez Zuber Vaid (47) and Faiz Shakeel Bhiwandiwala (35). The police seized the BMW car used by Bhiwandiwala for transporting narcotics. On October 21, 2023, ATS Assistant Commissioner of Police Satish Gadhve wrote to the Central RTO, seeking ownership details and documentation for the seized car.
The RTO provided certified copies of the documents submitted at the time of the vehicle’s transfer. Records showed that the car was originally registered on July 3, 2014, under the name of Nilesh Khot from Borivali. It was later transferred to Sushant Babar from Lower Parel on May 18, 2023, and subsequently to Faiz Bhiwandiwala on August 13, 2024.
During the investigation, ATS discovered that the car was officially transferred to Bhiwandiwala in August 2024, despite the fact that ATS had already seized it in 2022. Further scrutiny revealed that forged signatures of Khot and Babar, along with a fake PAN card in Babar’s name, were used to facilitate the transfer. Upon receiving this information from ATS, the RTO issued show-cause notices to Khot, Babar, and Bhiwandiwala.
Babar appeared at the RTO and stated that he had given the car for repairs on July 23, 2022, at a garage in Worli to Swapnil Utekar and Chirag Sawant. However, they allegedly handed the car over to Bhiwandiwala without his consent. Khot and Bhiwandiwala failed to provide any explanation regarding the fraudulent transfer.
Further investigation by the RTO revealed that an agent named Wasim handled the first transfer, while another agent, Arif, was involved in the second transfer. Following these findings, the RTO filed a complaint at Tardeo Police Station against Sushant Babar, Faiz Bhiwandiwala, agents Wasim and Arif, and other unidentified accused for fraudulently transferring the vehicle. The investigation is ongoing.
