OLX has become the base for many gangs who rob people by making irresistible offers to the people. One of such a gangs has been caught in a combined raid by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).
Details about the Case
This gang puts up car ads on the OLX website and has five people, three among whom are identified as Azam Rahman Butt, Irfan Bashir and Muneer Khan. It was said that these suspects came from Punjab and working in Karachi for the last 12 months and were supposed to have conned many people. “They [gang members] used to fix cheap prices for their cars that attracted buyers,” said an FIA official. “They took the buyer to a car showroom in the city and locked the deals there by demanding prices much lower than the market rates. After finalizing the deal, they took 10% to 20% as down-payment and then vanished.”
Upon investigation it was reported that all the associated car showroom owners were not even aware of the gang which was using their location for such acts. The gang and the OLX buyers were considered as soon-to-be customers by the staff. But the OLX customers came back again for a refund of the payment, saying that showroom had taken a down-payment.
On receiving a complaint from one of the victim’s by the CPLC which was forwarded to the FIA, who identified and caught the gang with the help of CCTV footage from a bank and a bank account used for the con.
It is reported that these people were taken into custody in two different acts. While two of them were taken in Korangi, two were taken in Surjani and on from Liaquatabad. Cases are registered against all the five and investigation is in progress for the gang’s past activities.
It is advised to be clear beforehand and meet once when finishing the transaction, preferably in a public place because platforms such as OLX are never safe and direct contact is often risky for both buyer and seller. It is also advised to read through helpful security guidelines and report any suspicious ads if they find before doing deals on OLX.