Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Police have captured a man they say is related to 45 counts of auto fraud in various points around Quintana Roo. Their suspect, Gerardo Iván “N”, alias “Axel Romero”, was arrested in the state of Campeche earlier this week.
His arrest was made in collaboration with the FGE of the State of Campeche. Gerardo Iván “N” was taken into custody on an outstanding arrest warrant. According to police, he is wanted along with three others who “offered used vehicles at attractive prices.”
According to the FGE of Quintana Roo, their “investigations indicate that this type of fraud has been operating since 2023, with corporate names of dubious legality and various addresses in Chetumal.” However, they are known to have set up in other points of Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche.
Police say Gerardo Iván “N”, alias “Axel Romero”, is related to 45 claims of fraud made against him totaling more than 2.7 million pesos.
“To commit these crimes, the alleged perpetrators established a financial company in Chetumal for the purchase and sale of used cars, offering victims payment facilities for which they requested an initial down payment of at least 15 percent of the total cost or the option of paying in a single installment with attractive discounts,” the Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE) said.
“In order to gain the trust of the victims, they signed private sales contracts, even giving them privacy notices indicating that due to administrative procedures specific to the company, the delivery of the vehicle was scheduled for a period of seven to 15 days after the signing of the contract and initial payment, a situation that did not occur.
“The alleged company offered victims various models and brands of vehicles whose costs ranged between 73,000 and 481,000 pesos, with affordable payments of up to 60 monthly installments.
“Once the frauds were carried out, the suspect and his accomplices dismantled the offices and left the city for other points in Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche,” they reported.
Police say this criminal group of fraudsters operated intermittently from 2023 until mid-October of this year, establishing its offices in different addresses in Chetumal with various corporate names. So far, police have unearthed five companies of dubious legality.
Gerardo Iván “N” was arrested in the streets of Campeche Thursday and returned to Quintana Roo to face fraud charges.
