I fell victim to a puncture scam & others shared their similar stories

He mentioned that some drivers filed police complaints as well but the gang operating this change their place of operation every now and then.

BHPian Knox88 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I would like to narrate the incident happened with one of my friend while returning from Gujarat to Banglore, via a stop in Pune. He is a frequent traveller between Nasik-Anand (GJ)-Ahmedabad route and a very experienced driver. I had asked him to go through this thread for his Journey from Banglore to Ahmedabad via Mumbai and return.

The incident happened on a Pune-Banglore highway around 1.30 PM on 2nd Jan, 2024 near Jambhulwadi lake after Pune. He drives Ford Ecosport Diesel (GJ Passing).

"I was driving from Mumbai to Pune with my wife and a kid. A biker drove parallel to my car on highway (After crossing Pune) and started indicating something.The bike tried to stop on the bridge claiming there is a puncture which I did not feel as I was cruising. When I stopped on the bridge, I heard the air hissing out. I couldn't find anything stuck in the tyre. But there were multiple punctures. I stopped right after the bridge near NH4 tea stall where there was a makeshift puncture shop located very conveniently with few bikers (not professional bikers) resting. It was all set up. The puncture shop guy did not have a jack even and asked me to open the trunk searching for some "tools".

When I told them there are so many punctures, lets just change with stepney. However, they were reluctant and were pushing for a sale of solvent. This is the location of [Puncture Shop -Scam]

There's one more puncture shop a couple of hundred meters away from this is also run by the same group of people. I sensed something is off and got away with this; finally stopped after 5 km near one garage.The mechanic there confirmed that it's a very common experience for the other state vehicles especially if they're travelling with family. The gang wont repair punctures but try to sale the sealant which repairs multiple punctures. He couldn't find any reason for the punctures in my the tyre.

He mentioned that some drivers filed police complaints as well but the gang operating this change their place of operation every now and then."

The location of the incident happened highlighted in below image.

Has anyone heard of such incident? What could be the cause of multiple punctures? Please be cautious!

Here's what BHPian VWguy had to say on the matter:

I've experienced similar bikers around the same area last year in September.

Fortunately, I decided to not stop immediately, but after a few kms. Thankfully, my tires were alright.

Maybe they have dropped multiple nails just after the bridge on the leftmost lane, expecting drivers to stop there after the warnings from the bikers. I survived, as I stopped on the left lane much later after the gestures from the bikers.

I think ignoring them is the best way possible and once you see them, try to drive in the rightmost lane to avoid any punctures.

Here's what BHPian lionell had to say on the matter:

Absolutely right. I have travelled frequently via this route from 2020 to 2022 and just after crossing Pune there is a toll booth, the bikers operated before the booth and after.

As described, the biker would ride parallel to the car and indicate that my wheel was wobbling with hand gestures or keep pointing to the front tyres. Since I've lived in Pune before I know of these incidents having heard them many times from fellow motorists. Some naive folks stop ahead and fall prey.

I suggest to zoom forward, show them the finger and take a wise decision. If you feel there is something wrong, it's best to stop much ahead at a pump and check.

Here's what BHPian maheshm619 had to say on the matter:

Happened to me back in 2016. I think the area was the same. Is the puncture shop located at a slight incline and has a few tin sheds made side by side ?

In my case , I had multiple punctures in one tyre. The scammer was adamant in selling a sealant product as he claimed it will seal from inside. Their modus operandi is to lure the prey to one corner, while an accomplice sneaks to another side of car and pokes multiple holes to tyre. This all happens very quickly. A video of this incident is available in youtube when a biker got all of this recorded in a helmet action cam.

I was a new car owner and stupid at that time to realize all of this was a scam and lost money equivalent to a new tyre price.In addition to this I had parked the car , in morning , at a place where there were sharp pieces of windshield glass from an earlier accident , which made me believe all of it was real.

Here's what BHPian micky had to say on the matter:

I had the same experience in 2016. The bikers waving that there's something wrong with the tyre. I was travelling with my wife and mother. I didn't find anything wrong but still decided to go to the puncture shop as I was heading to mahabaleshwar and didn't want to take a risk. The puncture guy told me the tyre had 9 punctures on the sidewall and charged 900 for it.

My sense is that either the bikers do it at the midway or the puncture guy only does it when he comes to check.

After this I never stopped at these places again. Best way is to ignore and move on.

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