A man has been arrested for allegedly posing as a “seller” on an online trading portal and cheating prospective buyers by pretending to sell them new four-wheelers displayed in showrooms at used-car rates.

Police said Abhishek Das, 32, the accused, would book a car from a showroom in the name of a prospective buyer saying that it was a gift for his friend and pay the booking amount with a cheque. Then he would quote a lesser price to the prospective buyer for the same car.

The buyer, thinking that he was getting a new car at a price lesser than the showroom rate, would agree and make the payment to the “seller”. Later, the showroom would find that the cheque had bounced and hence, the car would not be handed over to the buyer.

Based on a complaint lodged by a resident of Behala, police had started an investigation and found prima facie evidence against Das. According to the complaint, Das had struck a deal to sell two cars – a Hyundai Venue and a Toyota Fortuner - to the complainant through an online portal.

“Das had told the complainant that his office had gifted him two cars. He said he wanted to sell them at a lower price since he already had a car. On the other hand, he had booked the two cars at a showroom by handing over two cheques,” said an officer.

Das had allegedly arranged a meeting between the dealer and the complainant at a place near the showroom, where the dealer had taken the two cars.

“The customer was satisfied after seeing the cars and paid a token amount of Rs 9.11 lakh to Das for both cars. However, a few days later, when the dealer found that the cheques had bounced, the deal was called off. By then Das had stopped taking calls,” the officer said.

Through the cheque leaves, the police located Das’s bank accounts and collected his details.

Officers of Behala police station posed as customers and contacted Das through the same online portal and offered to buy a Volkswagen Polo. Das was arrested when he took the “buyer” to a spot near Garia to inspect the cars on Wednesday.