In a bizarre case of attempted fraud, a man from Barwani district orchestrated the theft of his own vehicle to escape financial liabilities, only to be caught after police scrutinised CCTV footage.
The False Complaint and Initial Investigation
The incident came to light in the Khetia police station area of Barwani. Vinod Waskale, a resident of Malgaon, approached the police on December 25 with a complaint stating that his pick-up van had been stolen. Acting on his report, the police initiated a standard investigation into the alleged vehicle theft.
CCTV Footage Reveals the Truth
During the probe, investigators examined closed-circuit television footage from areas near where the vehicle was reportedly taken. The video evidence presented a shocking twist. The footage clearly showed Vinod Waskale himself taking the vehicle away. Confronted with this irrefutable proof, the complainant's story began to fall apart.
Under questioning, Vinod confessed to the plot. He admitted to staging the theft of his own pick-up van. His primary motive was to avoid repaying a loan for which the vehicle was mortgaged, and to reclaim the asset without clearing his outstanding dues.
The Motive: A Web of Financial Missteps
Khetia police station in-charge Surendra Kanesh provided detailed insights into the financial mess that led to the crime. Five instalments of Vinod's vehicle loan were overdue. To address this, he had mortgaged the very same pick-up van to another individual for Rs 3 lakh.
However, instead of using this money to settle the pending loan instalments with the finance company, Vinod diverted the funds for other personal purposes. This left him in a precarious position, owing money to both the person who gave him the loan against the vehicle and the original finance company.
Facing pressure from both sides, he devised a plan. He first stole the vehicle back from the person holding it as security. He then drove it to Barwani and later hid it in a forest area in Mortalai. By filing a false police report claiming it was stolen, he believed he could kill two birds with one stone: he would neither have to return the Rs 3 lakh to the mortgagee nor pay the outstanding amount to the finance company.
His scheme, however, was short-lived. The police not only solved the case but also recovered the vehicle from its hiding spot.
Legal Consequences and Judicial Custody
Following his confession, Vinod Waskale was arrested by the Khetia police. He was subsequently produced before a local court, which ordered him to be sent to judicial custody. The case serves as a stark warning against attempting to manipulate the law to escape financial responsibilities, especially with the pervasive use of surveillance technology like CCTV.
