Travel firm owner held for selling leased vehicles

Hyderabad: A travel and tours firm owner was arrested for cheating several car owners after taking their vehicles on lease but later selling or mortgaging them. Of the 32 cars used by the accused, cops recovered 26 vehicles worth rupees 2.5 crore.Vishwa Phanindra, owner of VVV Car Tours and Travels, was arrested by Jagadgirigutta police following a complaint from a car owner. Before starting his rental business, he worked as a driver in Qatar.Complainant Shashidhar said he had rented out his car to Phanindra in Nov 2024 for Rs 23,000 per month. While Phanindra made payments for two months, he failed to pay for Jan. Shashidhar said that when he visited Phanindra's office on Jan 23, he found it closed and several other victims with similar grievances.Police investigation revealed that Phanindra and his associates leased multiple vehicles from owners, made initial payments and later sold or mortgaged them in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Cops said they are searching for his accomplices.