'Packers and movers' vanish with household items

Employees of a bogus packers and movers company disappear with all household items -- including furniture, electronic appliances and a Santro car worth Rs 4.87 lakh -- on their way to Kerala.u00a0As per the deal, the consignment was to be delivered at Amit's Thiruvananthpuram address within four days of dispatch on December 24, but it never reached its destination.

Prasad Madhavrao Patankar (30) had hired the services of the Pimpri-based firm as his brother Amit Patankar, who works with a private company, was transferred to Thiruvananthapuram.u00a0According to the police, Prasad got in touch with the company through a popular service search portal following which two representatives from the company visited Amit's residence at Bhakti Elegance Society in Vimanagar on December 15 last year.u00a0

They quoted Rs 36, 282 for the service that included packing, shifting, insurance cover and promised delivery in four days from the date of departure.u00a0The consignment included sofa sets, refrigerator, LCD television, computer along with printer, washing machine, microwave oven, guitar, glass crockery and Hyundai Santro car (MH-12-AX-5184).

The accused reached the Vimanagar residence on the morning of the departure on December 24 around 8 am.u00a0

They loaded the consignment in a mini truck and left for their destination at 4 pm.u00a0Then one of their accomplices asked for the car keys saying that it needed to be driven to another truck that was also leaving for Kerala.u00a0

Days turned into weeks but the consignment was nowhere to be seen. This made Prasad smell the rat. When he went to the company's office in Chinchwad to enquire about the status of his consignment, he found that no company was functioning out of the address given by the operators.u00a0

"Yesterday, Prasad has lodged a complaint against unknown people," said an official from Yerawada Police Station. "We have booked unknown persons for criminal breach of trust after being entrusted with a property u/s 407 of the IPC," he added.u00a0

The consignment dispatched from the city residence of Amit Patankar for Kerala address

The deadline of delivery of consignment in Thiruvananthpuramu00a0

The amount quoted by the fake company for the serviceu00a0