Got duped :(

aburagohain · 30th May 2008, 15:53

Guys, sharing my bad experience on the street today morning.

I had to do some money transfer and had gone to the SBI branch in Mico Layout, Bangalore. After the job was done, I started the vehicle and had hardly gone any distance, an autoguy told me there was oil leaking from the fuel tank lid, so I stopped at the petrol bunk that comes on the BTM main road and got down, locking the vehicle as is the habit. Went around to the other side and there was a very helpful young guy who was pointing out the leak from the fuel tank lid, another guy on motorcycle standing nearby started saying the leak would catch fire and all and I should wipe off immediately. So I opened the front left door and took out a piece of wiping cloth, it seemed someone had poured some mobil on the lid, pure case of pre-planning. After the wiping was done and I was convinced that the leak was not a leak but some oil poured from the outside, the helpful young guy asked me to check the bottom of the vehicle which I reluctantly did. All done, the helpful guy rode away with the bike wala and after a minute or two, I too got into my vehicle and started off, immediately to notice that my handbag which was lying on the co-driver's seat was gone, I had forgotten to lock the left door after taking out the wiping cloth..

Nothing much to do, went around the block a little in a faint hope of locating the guys on bike and then decided to spend the time calling up the banks to block the atm cards etc instead. My wallet is gone, so has 25k and along with it my license and PAN card and chequebooks, spare car keys and some other small things.

The cards and chequebooks have been blocked already, now I am here to find out how can I get a license again and if possible, how to get a duplicate PAN card that was issued in Delhi some 5 years back, would be grateful if anyone could help me with any info. Is it absolutely necessary to go through the entire learner's license and waiting period stuff all over again?

Should I get the car locks changed and if so, any idea how much would that set me back for a Safari?

Well, I suffered it, want to spread the word and caution you all against these kinda things.

krazydriver84 · 30th May 2008, 16:00

That is really sad to hear.

personally, I think you should get your locks changed. but I won't be able to give you an estimate, but you could ask one of the safari owners.

issuing of duplicate PAN shouldn't be much of a prob though.

amitoj · 30th May 2008, 16:02

jeeze, sorry to hear about this! And thanks for sharing your experience.
I'm not sure how to get another license copy. I've always kept a colored photocopy of my license at home, after i lost my first one when my pocket got picked.
Getting a duplicate pan card shouldnt be much of a hassle.
As for locks, no need to change them. just be more careful of these so called samaritans in disguise.

Jaguar · 30th May 2008, 16:05

Sorry to hear that buddy. I guess getting the duplicate PAN card shouldn't be very difficult. Just check with the IT department on whether you need to register an FIR to re-apply for the duplicate and do it ASAP.
As far as DL is concerned, if it was not issued from bangalore, then you encounter some difficulties. My advice is to get it re-issued from the same RTO which issued the license in the first place.

- Jaguar

P.S. Why do you need to carry the original DL with you always? I just carry a colour photo-copy and the cops don't even know the difference.

finneyp · 30th May 2008, 16:05

Shucks! Very bad! Sorry to know this!

Quite many people in Blore are duped using this modus operandi, and such incidents are regularly reported in Newspaper!

Pal, please lodge a FIR at the area Police station where this incident ocurred!
Not sure if it will help, but atleast it will be on record!

Also try to report this incident to TOI or DH!

Don't worry about the Licence & PAN Card, you can apply for a duplicate one!

Rudra Sen · 30th May 2008, 16:06

This is the second one I see in last one month.

drkhalsa · 30th May 2008, 16:08

As Far as I know Liecense could be re issued as well from the original place you got it

First thing is get these reported in Police station and then you can get your pan and Licence again

Thanks for sharing your experience , I might help others on this forum

cediafan · 30th May 2008, 16:08

Lodge an FIR ASAP. You can get take a copy of the FIR, fill some forms and get the duplicate license from the same RTO that issued it in the first place.

DieselFan · 30th May 2008, 16:09

This is the second incident I know of happening here in Bangalore. I have read in the newspapers a couple of weeks back similar incident that happened in HSR layout for some lady who lost some 20 L in jewelery. Have you reported to the police. It seems that there is a big racket with a group of people who are doing this and Duping people. You need to file a FIR on this at the nearest police station.

n_aditya · 30th May 2008, 16:12

Sad to hear this dude.

This strategy is fast catching up off late. In Chennai, I have seen huge hoardings outside few banks which have pictorial descriptions of such incidents. Usually the gang is comprised of 3-4 people and their main strategy is to distract lone drivers by pointing at an oil leak or puncture or some smoke billowing from under the hood.

Always be on your guard. Lock the car when you step out and keep the windows rolled up. Even if there is a passenger ensure the windows and doors are secured.

Regarding your license, you can get a duplicate issued at the RTO. No need to apply for an LL and "graduate" again. Ensure that the car's locks are changed at the earliest. The PAN card can probably be issued in duplicate. Do check at the ITO.

Gregory · 30th May 2008, 16:16

Im really sorry for you, damn
Getting a replacement PAN card is pretty easy. You can ask your accountant to do it for you.
The same can also be done for your DL.
Before you can do this I think you need to report this to the authorities and cops.
Have you reported this to the cops? Maybe they can look up the surveillance footage of the petrol station that you stopped at ?

again sorry to hear this
nowdays you cant trust anyone! Never I say again never stop even if people seems helpful most only want to cheat you.

BWN · 30th May 2008, 16:16

Sorry to know the ordeal mate !

I can understand the pain involved in sorting out practical things like blocking the credit cards, stop-payment of cheques, getting a duplicate DL/PAN etc. Getting a duplicate PAN card by quoting your PAN number should not be an Issue. You can contact your Auditor/consultant who can get this done quickly with the IT department.Duplicate DL is just a matter of few thousands with the RTO Agents.

Dont get bugged up with the incident... just keep moving.

aburagohain · 30th May 2008, 16:19

Thanks guys, I feel a little better.

I haven't lodged any complaint yet with the police, now that all of you are suggesting this, am going to do that too right now.

Jeep · 30th May 2008, 16:21

Really sad to hear this. Give it some time, and you will be allright.

I was pick pocketed in Jan 2006 at a textile shop (Jayalakshmi, and they refused to help in the matter though they had the shop under CCTV) in Kerala and the losses were ditto - PAN Card, DL, Cards and a lesser amount of 11,000.
Got a duplicate DL (mine was issued in Kerala) after applying formally and reaching out to the RTO a few times.
Haven't yet applied for a PAN Card (search on the net for info on how to apply, it sounded not so tough).. I have a copy of my PAN CARD and didn't find an immediate need to have the original

deepakhon · 30th May 2008, 16:24

I am sorry to hear about your incident. Thanks for alerting us to such crimes.

If your DL is issued at Bangalore, it is not much of an issue. You can get the duplicate done very easily. I guess they will ask you to get some FIR/letter with a seal from the Police Station under whose jurisdiction the crime occurred, for that.

But, if your DL was issued at Delhi, RTOs of Bangalore will not do anything for you. In that case, you have two options:
1. Get the duplicate done at Delhi.
2. Apply for a new license at Bangalore. You can still get the Police letter for your reference.

I had lost my license which was issued at Chennai in Bangalore and the RTOs here were of no help to me. So, I ended up going for option 2.

Issuing of duplicate PAN should not be much of an issue I feel, though I do not know the procedure you should follow for that.

30th May 2008, 15:53	#1
aburagohain BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 153 Thanked: 2 Times	Got duped :( Guys, sharing my bad experience on the street today morning. I had to do some money transfer and had gone to the SBI branch in Mico Layout, Bangalore. After the job was done, I started the vehicle and had hardly gone any distance, an autoguy told me there was oil leaking from the fuel tank lid, so I stopped at the petrol bunk that comes on the BTM main road and got down, locking the vehicle as is the habit. Went around to the other side and there was a very helpful young guy who was pointing out the leak from the fuel tank lid, another guy on motorcycle standing nearby started saying the leak would catch fire and all and I should wipe off immediately. So I opened the front left door and took out a piece of wiping cloth, it seemed someone had poured some mobil on the lid, pure case of pre-planning. After the wiping was done and I was convinced that the leak was not a leak but some oil poured from the outside, the helpful young guy asked me to check the bottom of the vehicle which I reluctantly did. All done, the helpful guy rode away with the bike wala and after a minute or two, I too got into my vehicle and started off, immediately to notice that my handbag which was lying on the co-driver's seat was gone, I had forgotten to lock the left door after taking out the wiping cloth.. Nothing much to do, went around the block a little in a faint hope of locating the guys on bike and then decided to spend the time calling up the banks to block the atm cards etc instead. My wallet is gone, so has 25k and along with it my license and PAN card and chequebooks, spare car keys and some other small things. The cards and chequebooks have been blocked already, now I am here to find out how can I get a license again and if possible, how to get a duplicate PAN card that was issued in Delhi some 5 years back, would be grateful if anyone could help me with any info. Is it absolutely necessary to go through the entire learner's license and waiting period stuff all over again? Should I get the car locks changed and if so, any idea how much would that set me back for a Safari? Well, I suffered it, want to spread the word and caution you all against these kinda things.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:00	#2
krazydriver84 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kolkata + Gurgaon Posts: 428 Thanked: 44 Times View My Garage	That is really sad to hear. personally, I think you should get your locks changed. but I won't be able to give you an estimate, but you could ask one of the safari owners. issuing of duplicate PAN shouldn't be much of a prob though.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:02	#3
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,348 Thanked: 3,105 Times View My Garage	jeeze, sorry to hear about this! And thanks for sharing your experience. I'm not sure how to get another license copy. I've always kept a colored photocopy of my license at home, after i lost my first one when my pocket got picked. Getting a duplicate pan card shouldnt be much of a hassle. As for locks, no need to change them. just be more careful of these so called samaritans in disguise.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:05	#4
Jaguar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,208 Thanked: 2,547 Times	Sorry to hear that buddy. I guess getting the duplicate PAN card shouldn't be very difficult. Just check with the IT department on whether you need to register an FIR to re-apply for the duplicate and do it ASAP. As far as DL is concerned, if it was not issued from bangalore, then you encounter some difficulties. My advice is to get it re-issued from the same RTO which issued the license in the first place. - Jaguar P.S. Why do you need to carry the original DL with you always? I just carry a colour photo-copy and the cops don't even know the difference.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:05	#5
finneyp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,716 Thanked: 319 Times View My Garage	Shucks! Very bad! Sorry to know this! Quite many people in Blore are duped using this modus operandi, and such incidents are regularly reported in Newspaper! Pal, please lodge a FIR at the area Police station where this incident ocurred! Not sure if it will help, but atleast it will be on record! Also try to report this incident to TOI or DH! Don't worry about the Licence & PAN Card, you can apply for a duplicate one! Last edited by finneyp : 30th May 2008 at 16:14.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:06	#6
Rudra Sen Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,590 Thanked: 6,532 Times View My Garage	This is the second one I see in last one month.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:08	#7
drkhalsa BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: amritsar Posts: 71 Thanked: 0 Times	As Far as I know Liecense could be re issued as well from the original place you got it First thing is get these reported in Police station and then you can get your pan and Licence again Thanks for sharing your experience , I might help others on this forum
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:08	#8
cediafan BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 162 Thanked: 8 Times	Lodge an FIR ASAP. You can get take a copy of the FIR, fill some forms and get the duplicate license from the same RTO that issued it in the first place.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:09	#9
DieselFan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,584 Thanked: 259 Times	This is the second incident I know of happening here in Bangalore. I have read in the newspapers a couple of weeks back similar incident that happened in HSR layout for some lady who lost some 20 L in jewelery. Have you reported to the police. It seems that there is a big racket with a group of people who are doing this and Duping people. You need to file a FIR on this at the nearest police station.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:12	#10
n_aditya Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Namma Bengaluru Posts: 5,348 Thanked: 3,684 Times View My Garage	Sad to hear this dude. This strategy is fast catching up off late. In Chennai, I have seen huge hoardings outside few banks which have pictorial descriptions of such incidents. Usually the gang is comprised of 3-4 people and their main strategy is to distract lone drivers by pointing at an oil leak or puncture or some smoke billowing from under the hood. Always be on your guard. Lock the car when you step out and keep the windows rolled up. Even if there is a passenger ensure the windows and doors are secured. Regarding your license, you can get a duplicate issued at the RTO. No need to apply for an LL and "graduate" again. Ensure that the car's locks are changed at the earliest. The PAN card can probably be issued in duplicate. Do check at the ITO. Last edited by n_aditya : 30th May 2008 at 16:14.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:16	#11
Gregory BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 218 Thanked: Once	Im really sorry for you, damn Getting a replacement PAN card is pretty easy. You can ask your accountant to do it for you. The same can also be done for your DL. Before you can do this I think you need to report this to the authorities and cops. Have you reported this to the cops? Maybe they can look up the surveillance footage of the petrol station that you stopped at ? again sorry to hear this nowdays you cant trust anyone! Never I say again never stop even if people seems helpful most only want to cheat you.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:16	#12
BWN BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toulouse Posts: 114 Thanked: Once	Sorry to know the ordeal mate ! I can understand the pain involved in sorting out practical things like blocking the credit cards, stop-payment of cheques, getting a duplicate DL/PAN etc. Getting a duplicate PAN card by quoting your PAN number should not be an Issue. You can contact your Auditor/consultant who can get this done quickly with the IT department.Duplicate DL is just a matter of few thousands with the RTO Agents. Dont get bugged up with the incident... just keep moving.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:19	#13
aburagohain BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 153 Thanked: 2 Times	Thanks guys, I feel a little better. I haven't lodged any complaint yet with the police, now that all of you are suggesting this, am going to do that too right now.
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:21	#14
Jeep BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: London Posts: 438 Thanked: 67 Times	Really sad to hear this. Give it some time, and you will be allright. I was pick pocketed in Jan 2006 at a textile shop (Jayalakshmi, and they refused to help in the matter though they had the shop under CCTV) in Kerala and the losses were ditto - PAN Card, DL, Cards and a lesser amount of 11,000. Got a duplicate DL (mine was issued in Kerala) after applying formally and reaching out to the RTO a few times. Haven't yet applied for a PAN Card (search on the net for info on how to apply, it sounded not so tough).. I have a copy of my PAN CARD and didn't find an immediate need to have the original
	() Thanks

30th May 2008, 16:24	#15
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 65 Times	I am sorry to hear about your incident. Thanks for alerting us to such crimes. If your DL is issued at Bangalore, it is not much of an issue. You can get the duplicate done very easily. I guess they will ask you to get some FIR/letter with a seal from the Police Station under whose jurisdiction the crime occurred, for that. But, if your DL was issued at Delhi, RTOs of Bangalore will not do anything for you. In that case, you have two options: 1. Get the duplicate done at Delhi. 2. Apply for a new license at Bangalore. You can still get the Police letter for your reference. I had lost my license which was issued at Chennai in Bangalore and the RTOs here were of no help to me. So, I ended up going for option 2. Issuing of duplicate PAN should not be much of an issue I feel, though I do not know the procedure you should follow for that.
	() Thanks