I was a clueless victim of this scam while travelling from Pune to Mumbai last weekend.
Cars are not my first love. Driving fares much lower in my list of priority likings. Naturally so, my knowledge about a complex machine like a car and interest in the spares and maintenance is as minuscule as a woman’s interest in football. These were enough to land me in the midst of a massive tyre puncture scam that’s prevalent and quite common (which I later discovered) in the outskirts of Pune city.
I was travelling with my family, wife and 4 year old son Om, from Pune to my Navi Mumbai residence on 10th January 2016. I had left home in time at 4.15 pm so that I would escape driving much after sunset, which I dislike the most. The traffic was unusually high and we were zigzagging our way towards Seawoods. As Baner approached, when my car had slowed down at a diversion, suddenly two guys on a bike came parallel to my car and warned me about the front left tyre of my car being punctured. I was surprised since I had just checked all 4 tyres at Maruti’s Chowgule Service Centre, during my annual Servicing just the previous day on 9th January 2016. However, I decided to stop and get them checked. The guys on the bike showed me a puncture shop to the left just 100 meters ahead. It was on the small service road just next to the highway. I drove my car in front of the shop.
The puncture guy came and checked the tyre. “Saab yeh toh puncture hai.” I said OK, then replace it with the spare tyre in the boot. I didn’t want to spend time on removing the puncture there. I removed all the luggage from the boot space and kept it on the service road. The guy removed the stepeny and to my astonishment declared that the stepeny too was punctured! I cursed my luck and asked him to remove the puncture of the front tyre first.
The puncturewala was a bhaiyya. He dipped my front tyre in the water can and detected a puncture. Just then he asked me to keep all the luggage (which I had kept on the road just behind my car) inside the car. I was surprised at his unusual caution and asked him why, who would steal it from here? He replied, “sahab yahan chori ke mamle hote hai. Hamare paane/screwdrivers gayab ho jaate hai toh.” I decided not to heed his advice and ask him to proceed with his work. Just then my wife Sheetal, who was sitting in the elevated car with my sleeping son, called me. Irritated, I left the puncturewalla with my tyre and went to the car. She too wanted me to keep the luggage inside since it contained some cash. I ignored her, ask her to stay put and returned to the tyrewalla. He again started dipping the tyre in the water container. To my shock, air came gushing out from not 1, not 2 but 13 different tiny holes, all on the side wall of the tyre. I was aghast! 13 punctures! This meant Rs.1500/- gone in thin air. But did I have a choice? Plus, how did so many punctures occur suddenly out of thin air? I was confused. I quizzed him as to how can a tyre be punctured on the side wall? Seeing my confused state, he said, “sahib aapne puncture tyre pe gaadi chalayi hogi.” I tried to recollect but no such instance came to my mind. I was not convinced, but no other reason occurred to my mind and hence I had to agree to what he said.
Om (my 4 year old son) was sleeping peacefully in the car. Sheetal was restless and sitting inside the car. Sunlight was fading fast. I was left with no choice but to ask him to get onto the job fast.
13 minutes later all the 13 punctures were plugged with great speed and efficiency. I was relieved that at least now I can leave and cover some distance in the fading light. He screwed the repaired tyre to the car. I was about to remove my wallet and pay him when he suddenly exclaimed, “sahib peeche ka tyre bhi puncture hai.” The news hit me like a bolt of lightning. I was shocked and dejected. After the front left tyre, suddenly out of nowhere even the back left tyre was flat. But being shocked was not going to help me in that situation. So I asked him to fix it as well.
Again, the back tyre was removed and dipped in the water can and the next moment air bubbles erupted from the water in such glee that it brought water in my eyes. This tyre too had some 12 punctures, again all to the side wall of the tyre. At this stage I was completely lost. How is it that even the 2nd tyre was flat and that too had holes in the wall of the tyre? Nevertheless, again with great speed and efficiency the tyrewalla plugged all the punctures.
I was again relieved that at least now I can leave that jinxed place. Apparently the bhaiyya tyrewalla was not done with looting me. There was more misfortune to come my way. The tyrewalla bent the air valve on the tyre to its left and air came gushing out in great force, “dekhiye sahab yeh valve kharab hai.” I replied in a bland, frustrated tone, “badal do.” He showed me 2 valves, the metal one for Rs.500 and the black plastic one was Rs.350/- Being a quality conscious individual I chose the Rs.500 one.
The 2nd tyre too was fit on the back left side of the car. Now what about the stepeny? The cost of the punctures of the two tyres was such that I asked him to leave the stepeny as it is in punctured state. That was my saving grace. The total bill came to a whopping Rs.4000/- (23 punctures @ Rs.150 + 1 valve). I thrust Rs.3600 into his hands with great pain. Only to realize later that I was a victim of the great tyre scam being meticulously carried out by outsiders (as per the police report) in the Baner/Hinjewadi belt on the outskirts of Pune city.
Now, how did this scam take place? The Maruti Service Centre explained later (in response to my complaint that it was Maruti’s fault that my tyres were not checked when the car was left for servicing just a day before my unfortunate journey). As per the Chowgule Customer Care person, the very fact that the tyres had punctures on the side wall suggested that it was a con job. The very first thing he asked was, “Where did you fix your car punctures? On the highway?” I replied in affirmative. He went on and explained that it is a common practice on the highways by Puncture shops to rob unsuspecting (read ignorant) travelers by punching holes in the tyres by distracting your attention.
I went into flashback. I replayed the entire puncture scene frame by frame in my mind and it was then that my new found knowledge helped me pinpoint it.
Front Left Tyre #1 – The tyrewalla tried to distract my attention by asking me to leave his side and keep my luggage inside the car. Though I refused to budge from his side, my unsuspecting wife had done the job of distracting my attention by calling me to the car. This gave him the opportunity to quickly punch holes in the tyre while I was away from the tyre.
Back Left Tyre #2 – When I came back and was focusing on the punctures on the 1st tyre, the tyrewalla’s assistant must’ve quietly moved near the back of the car (I was sitting with my back to the car and hence couldn’t see anything) and unknowingly punched holes in the side wall of the tyre, rendering the back left tyre flat.
Now what about the valve? Apparently the valve is a delicate item and merely bending it forcefully to one side damages it. That’s what the tyrewalla did, bent it harshly to one side to rupture it and then claimed that it was faulty.
Voila! The puncture scam surely deflated my wallet. Apart from the exorbitant money spent on the punctures, I now have to get those very tyres replaced with new one since driving with punctures in the side wall is very dangerous. So, a big note of caution to all those driving on highways. Avoid getting air checked or puncture repaired at a roadside Tyre shop on highways. Always check air at authorized petrol pump air outlets. In dire situations when you have no choice but to approach a highway tyre puncture shop, always… always keep a hawk eye on your car as well as on the tyrewalla every single second. Now I suspect, even the motorcycle guys who cautioned us about the puncture in the first place might well be an active part of the scam!
Dhaval Ramtirthkar
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