Alleged car fraudster in custody
AN ALLEGED Durban fraudster was arrested this week for selling hired cars to people and then disappearing with their money.
The suspect, Philendran Raman, who is known as Phil, was remanded in custody after appearing in the Durban Magistrate’s Court this week. He will appear in court again on Thursday for a formal bail application. Raman has been charged with eight cases of fraud.
After people bought vehicles from the suspect, the cars were then traced and confiscated by tracker services and this was when victims realised they had been duped.
But this was apparently just one of his many modus operandi.
Captain Patricia Reddy of the Durban Central Detective Unit claimed Raman allegedly approached potential clients on the pretext of having a car for sale. He apparently took deposits and disappeared with the money. “He promises to get clients cars at a cheaper rate compared to other dealerships, takes clients and shows them the motor vehicles. He then takes their money and gives them the car, which is later recovered by a car hire company,” said Reddy.
She said the suspect’s second modus operandi was to act as an agent for vehicle sales and to pose as a financial services provider who could organise finance easily. He takes his victims’ motor vehicles and promises to sell them on their behalf and then disappears with the vehicles, said Reddy.
She alleged his other scam was to purchase equipment and issue post-dated cheques to the sellers. He would apparently then disappear with the equipment.
One Durban victim, Conrad Germishuizen, said: “He posed as a financial services provider and said he was hooked up in the car industry… He then took my van as surety and disappeared with the vehicle. My vehicle was never recovered and he has the audacity to tell me that he has all the policemen in KZN wrapped around his finger.”
Another Durban victim who asked not to be named alleged that Raman took her freehold vehicle and sold it fraudulently to someone else without her knowledge.
Police are requesting anyone who may have been scammed by Raman to contact Constable Zikhalala on 031 325 4028 or Captain Pillay at the Durban Central Detective Branch on 073 139 1335 or 031 325 4538.