Tags:
Journalism of Courage
July 9: An aeronautical engineer, Pradeep Vijay Dagar loved to take people for a ride. His dream run ended when he was arrested on June 18 by the Bhoiwada police for defrauding people by promising them out-of-turn delivery of cars.
Investigating officer, API Ashok Dhawle, told Express Newsline that Dagar had defrauded 11 persons to the tune of Rs 10.43 lakh. The figure could go up as there are cases pending against him in other police stations too, Dhawle added.
“Dagar came to the city penniless and lived a hired life of luxury until the police nabbed him,” Dhawle added. Investigations have revealed that Dagar migrated to the city from New Delhi in 1993 after obtaining a degree in aeronautical engineering. But, instead of fixing aircrafts, he chose to teach higher secondary students at Bandra (west).
Dagar, however soon changed tracks and floated a car finance company. Subsequently, he launched other companies like Unique Vypar Pvt Ltd, Ascent Securities & Capital Services Pvt Ltd, Dagar Industries, Dagar Electricals and Bharat Construction Well, added the police.
According to Prakash Manek, his (Dagar’s) modus operandi was simple. He would obtain cheques in his name as initial payments and thereafter defer the delivery of the vehicle on one pretext or the other.
“I paid him Rs 69,000 to book a Maruti Zen car. Dagar instead of delivering the car or returning my money, took a paper shredding machine worth Rs 11,000 from my shop,” says Manek. In an another case, Dagar took possession of a doctor’s car at Vikhroli Park Site with a promise that he would pay him Rs 40,000. He never did.
Hasmukh Chedda paid Dagar Rs 1.6 lakh to book two Sumo jeeps. But he was neither given the jeeps nor was the money returned to him. Instead, Dagar gave him a EPX mini-telephone exchange, added the police.
Dagar’s game was exposed when he played the same trick on Pramila Mhatre, who runs an employment bureau at Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar. Dagar had hired two workmen from Mhatre’s company. But, the two cheques he issued to the company bounced. When Mhatre insisted on being paid, Dagar threatened her over the telephone on June 10, following which the former registered a complaint. Dagar was arrested from his Bandra residence on June 18. The police have recovered a paper shredding machine and a mini-telephone exchange worth Rs 2.12 lakh from his house.
Son of a retired army major, Dagar was disowned by his family because of his bad habits.
