Man sold rented cameras and lenses on OLX, arrested

A 25-year-old man, who was taking cameras and lenses for rent, was selling them on e-commerce website, OLX.T

he police arrested Ashwak Khan, a resident of Vijayanagar Pipeline Road, following a complaint by Manohar, who owns a studio called Vineeth Videos in Vasanth Nagar.

Khan had studied till PUC and was running a studio of his own. But he took to the illegal dealing after losses forced him to shut his studio.

Khan would contact studio owners and pay them advance money to hire cameras and lenses. He then sold them on OLX for half their original prices and use that money to lead a lavish life, touring places like Goa and Mumbai with friends.

There were nine complaints registered against him in Vijayanagar, Jayanagara, High Grounds, Ashoknagar, CK Achukattu and Banashankari police stations.

Manohar stated in his complaint that Khan approached him on December 26 and took cameras and lenses worth Rs 8.5 lakh for four days. He sent his cousin Khalid Ahmed the following day to get one more camera. They gave the Aadhaar card and other documents as surety.

But Khan did not return the equipment after a week and his mobile was also switched off. Manohar had therefore gone in search of Khan to the address mentioned in the Aadhaar card, but his parents told the studio owner that he had left their house years ago.

While enquiring with the other studio owners, Manohar learnt that Khan had cheated several of them. He then registered a complaint with the High Grounds police.

On Friday, six victims who lost their cameras approached the High Grounds police, asking their money be returned, having learnt that the police had recovered cameras based on the information provided by Khan.

The police asked the victims to approach the court, where they learnt that Rs 2 lakh had been paid for each camera.