Agra: A massive scam unfolded in Mathura’s Khayra village on Tuesday evening when teams of UP and Rajasthan police confiscated as many as 80 brand new tractors purchased in neighbouring states on loan, and later shown as stolen. According to senior police officials, it was the “tip of the iceberg” as over 5,000 tractors were purchased on finance in four states -- Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana-- and later shown as missing in the last five years.They also said that the Mathura village and its nearby areas were the “fountainhead” of the racket, where the new tractors, all purchased on loan in the four states and shown as missing, used to be brought. Later, their number plates and documents were forged and they were sold to unsuspecting buyers in East UP, Bihar and West Bengal.The state police have now decided to form an SIT to look into the matter in detail. “A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed to inquire into the details as many bank and financial companies have been defrauded,” said senior superintendent of police (SSP), Mathura, Prabhakar Chaudhary.Narrating the modus operandi of the racket, police said that its local contacts in the four states used to purchase the tractors on loan. Later, the farm vehicles were discreetly sent to the Mathura villages and the locals used to approach police saying that the tractors have gone missing. “Over 5,000 tractors were stolen and resold by forging their papers and overwriting engine and chassis numbers in such a way,” a senior police officer said.On Tuesday, the joint search operation was started after Bikaner Police informed their UP counterparts that a large number of brand new stolen tractors were parked in Mathura district’s villages.SSP Chaudhary said that seized tractors are from Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra.“Khayra village’s population is around 4,000 and their main business is to get tractors financed from these states with the help of local people and then sell it off after changing engine and chassis numbers,” he said, adding that around 20 to 25 FIRs related to such deals were registered in Rajasthan alone. “The suspects possibly earn five to six lakh per tractor,” the SSP said.“Every house in the village has a proper place for parking these tractors. And every house has four to five tractors parked without registration number,” the SSP Mathura said. He said that multiple FIRs will be registered in this scam.“According to information, one Rajindra in Khayra village alone had sold 800 tractors and police are trying to trace him. Over 5,000 tractors had been sold in last five years as per estimate,” the SSP said.

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