A 20-year-old man who repeatedly scammed people out of their vehicles using fake bank transfers and later led पुलिस on dangerous high-speed pursuits has been sentenced to home detention.
According to a report by Al Williams of NZ Herald, Rohinel Prasad targeted victims through Facebook Marketplace, arranging to buy cars before presenting falsified proof of payment. After gaining the owners’ trust, he would take possession of the vehicles and disappear without paying.
His offending escalated into multiple police pursuits across Auckland, including one incident where he drove at speeds exceeding 160km/h through suburban streets. During the chase, he reportedly switched the headlights of the stolen car on and off before police eventually stopped him using spike strips.
Judge Tom Gilbert described Prasad as “young and dumb”, and said he had been out of control. Addressing him during sentencing in the Christchurch District Court, the judge said, “Don’t come back”, while wishing him “good luck”, as quoted by NZ Herald.
According to NZ Herald, Court documents revealed the pattern began in January 2025, when Prasad agreed to buy a car in Stanmore Bay for $2200. He showed the seller a fake bank transfer and was handed the keys, with the expectation payment would arrive shortly. It never did, and the identification he used was also fake.
Police later spotted him driving the stolen vehicle and attempted to stop him, but he fled, weaving through traffic at high speeds. He was eventually tracked using CCTV and air support and arrested, with cannabis found in the car.
The same method was repeated multiple times in the following months, with victims in Weymouth, Papatoetoe, Clendon Park, and Manukau all deceived using fake transfers ranging from $3,950 to $8,000, the NZ Herald has reported.
In one chase on March 7, police observed him speeding along the Southern Motorway before exiting and continuing dangerously through several suburbs. He drove on the wrong side of the road in Māngere and nearly collided with a truck before officers brought the vehicle to a stop using spikes, as reported by the NZ Herald.
Prasad and an associate attempted to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended.
In addition to the car scams, the court heard he used similar tactics to obtain a PlayStation and a mobile phone, which were not recovered. All stolen vehicles, however, were eventually returned.
Judge Gilbert acknowledged signs of progress and remorse, telling Prasad, “You say it was a result of getting in with the wrong crowd.
“Your shift here to Christchurch appears to be working well,” the NZ Herald has quoted.
Taking into account his guilty pleas, remorse, youth, and time already spent in custody, the judge sentenced him to six months’ home detention. He was also disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to pay $1300 in reparations.
“If you come again, you will go to jail,” the judge warned him, as quoted by the NZ Herald.
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