VADODARA, June 14: The police have recovered a Maruti Zen (GJ-6-AA-5219) stolen from Jayesh Adalja of Vadodara, allegedly by employees of a leading Ahmedabad-based finance company, on June 3 last year. The car -- found in the premises of the company, which had advanced a loan for its purchase -- has been restored to its owner. A robbery case has been registered against four suspects, all of whom are absconding.According to information, Kataria Maruti Udyog had given a loan to one Shyam Prajapati of Ahmedabad for purchasing the car in May 1997. Prajapati registered the vehicle (GJ-1-AR-9843) with the Ahmedabad RTO office.
However, in June '97 Prajapati sold the car to Adalja for Rs 3.4 lakh. While Prajapati received the full payment in cash, he allegedly did not pay a single installment to the finance company; nor did he tell Adalja the car was hypothecated. Adalja had been using the car for nearly one year, when four men, who identified themselves as the finance company's employees -- approached him and forcibly took away the car, alleging that he was a defaulter. Later, Adlaja lodged an FIR with the J P Road police station.
The story unravelled when a team of the Vadodara police went to Ahmedabad and interrogated the company officials. The police there came to know that Prajapati had not paid a single installment after purchasing the car and had also kept the company in dark about resale of the vehicle.
When contacted, Assistant Commissioner of Police B R Shimpi said the finance company was well within its rights to seize the vehicle for failure of the loanee to repay the loan. ``But they should have sought police help.Otherwise it amounts to robbery'', he said.
On the to be taken against Prajapati, he said as the deal was transacted in Ahmedabad it was the Ahmedabad police's responsibility to look into that aspect of the crime.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
