The alleged kingpin of the fake Thane call centre racket had purchased an Audi R8 from cricketer Virat Kohli for around Rs 2.5 crore. The two-seater sports car has been seized by police.
According to reports, 23-year-old Sagar Thakkar, also known as Shaggy, gifted the car to his girlfriend. Audi R8 is priced at around Rs 3 crore in the market.
Police said that Virat Kohli was not aware about Thakkar's background and was not linked to the scam in any way. However, police found that the Audi R8's ownership was yet to be changed and it is still in Kohli's name.
"He [Thakkar] bought the Audi R8 car from Virat Kohli, but the cricketer is unaware of Thakkar's activities," Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Police were initially searching for the car in Ahmedabad. But after questioning Thakkar's close aide, the investigators found it in Delhi. The car was seized from the national capital and was brought to Thane on Friday.
Thakkar bought the car from Kohli on May 7, 2016, and a document related to this was also signed. Thakkar and his sister remain absconding and are said to be hiding in a Gulf country.
It is suspected that Thakkar is currently holed up in Dubai along with his sister Reema, who is also suspected to be involved in the call centre racket. "We suspect that they have some relatives there. Our efforts are on to get them back in the country," a police officer said.
