Man takes 2-wheeler salesman for a ride

Fraudster goes for test ride on bike worth Rs 73,000, fails to return to vehicle showroomGiving a bike for a test ride proved costly for a two-wheeler salesman, as a man who posed as a customer fled away with the vehicle on Monday evening at Wakdewadi. A case has been registered against an unknown man.Sales representative Prasad Sudam Bhalerao (25) lodged the complaint at the Khadki police station. The incident took place at the TVS Century showroom on the old Pune-Mumbai highway road. The fraudster was in his early twenties and was sporting a French beard. He spoke in Marathi and Hindi the saleman said.Disappearing Act: The TVS showroom at Wakdewadi, from where an unidentified person made off with a bike on the pretext of taking it for a test ride. Pic/Jignesh Mistry Gone with the windThe unknown suspect approached Bhalerao who took him to a section in the showroom and showed some bikes. After looking at the bikes, the man demanded a test ride, said Police Inspector Vilas Gavli of the Khadki police station. Bhalerao gave him the keys of a bike (chassis number MD634KE49) worth Rs 73,000. After taking the keys the man left the showroom. The suspect did not turn up for a long time, which prompted Bhalerao to inform his seniors about the incident. The showroom authorities then contacted the Khadki police and lodged a complaint. CCTV footage of the suspect is not available, as the bikes were parked outside the showroom, the police said. Police Sub-Inspector M N Wadekar is investigating the case.