Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal

Bantwal, July 19: In a shocking case of loan fraud and document forgery, a man from Bedagudde has been accused of purchasing a Toyota Innova using a finance loan, failing to repay the dues, and later conspiring with others to forge documents and illegally transfer the vehicle to a third party.

The accused, Girish, allegedly took a vehicle loan of Rs 8.75 lac from Shriram Finance, BC Road branch, on June 27, 2023, for the purchase of a Toyota Innova Euro model. Including interest, the total repayable amount stood at Rs 13,07,663, to be cleared in 48 instalments. Rajesh Rai, a resident of Biliyur, acted as the guarantor for the loan.

Bantwal police station (file photo)

Despite repeated notices from the financier, Girish failed to repay the loan or surrender the vehicle. Notices were also issued to the guarantor, but no response was received from either party.

The fraud came to light on June 23, 2025, when the financier checked records at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and discovered that the vehicle’s official ownership and loan-related entries had been tampered with.

According to a complaint filed by Puneet Kumar, manager of Shriram Finance,  Girish, along with Rajesh Rai, Rohith, and Manjunath, allegedly created fake documents, including forged Shriram Finance letterheads, seals, and signatures. Using these fabricated papers, they removed the hypothecation (HP) entry from the vehicle’s Registration Certificate (RC), falsely indicating that the loan had been cleared.

The accused then went on to transfer ownership of the vehicle to a man identified as Indresh Kumar V, without the knowledge or approval of the finance company.

A case has been registered at the Bantwal Town police station, and investigations are currently underway. Police are probing the full extent of the forgery and identifying the roles of each person involved in the alleged conspiracy.