The Police have busted a vehicle racket involving car rental services in Mulleriyawa.
Police Spokesman, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ajith Rohana said three suspects have been arrested in connection to the racket.
The suspects are reported to have obtained vehicles from rent a car services using fake National Identity Cards (NIC), drivers licences, and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) bills to prove their registered address.
After obtaining the vehicles, the suspects are reported to have sold the vehicles to third parties after changing the engine and chassy numbers, under fake documents, or have taken apart the vehicles and sold them for spare parts.
DIG Ajith Rohana said the racket had come to light after owners of vehicles that had been provided for rental services had visited the fake addresses given by the suspects to retrieve the vehicles, and had found that they do not live in the said locations.
Following investigations launched on the racket, the Mulleriyawa Police have recovered 17 vehicles, including 16 cars and a van that had been fraudulently obtained by the suspects.
One suspect is a resident of Yakkala, another from Meerigama, and the third suspect from Gampaha is reported to have produced the fake NICs, drivers licences, and CEB bills for the two suspects involved in the vehicle racket.
The Police Spokesman requested managements of vehicle rental services to be vigilant when providing vehicles, by verifying the documents produced by customers, and obtaining photographs of them to avoid fraudulent transactions.
DIG Ajith Rohana further requested individuals who have lost vehicles due to such rackets to file a complaint with the Mulleriyawa Police. (NewsWire)