Hidden workshops and stolen cars: How 276 vehicles vanished in Uzbekistan

Typically, most fraud cases in the car trade target buyers, as seen with various auto-leasing firms and fake dealerships promising easy car purchases. However, this organized group preyed exclusively on those looking to sell their vehicles, ensnaring many ordinary people in their criminal web.

The organized crime group

This group was substantial, including inspectors from the registration and examination departments of the Traffic Safety Divisions in Tashkent and Namangan regions. As a result, the case has been divided into two separate investigations. Today, we focus on the first of these.

The scheme originated in the Fergana Valley regions, led by Akmalkhon Khoshimov, born in 1991 in Namangan. The group included individuals such as Khabibullo Matisaev, Abror Zaynutdinov, Umid Mamadaliev, Shukhrat Dalimov, Murodillo Bayatov, Zukhriddin Chalov, and Sevara Akhmadjonova.

According to court documents reviewed by Kun.uz, each member had a specific role. One key figure, Murodillo Bayatov, head of the “Specialized Auction Auto-Property Center” LLC in Navoi, played a critical role in the scheme.

Betrayed trust

The group targeted individuals intending to sell their cars, deceiving them to transfer their vehicles to third parties for illegal profit. They employed several methods to achieve this.

One tactic involved convincing sellers to part with both their vehicles and credit agreements. For instance, on April 8, 2023, in Tashkent district, Akmalkhon Khoshimov and his associates met with Akbar Abdukhabirov, agreeing to buy his Lacetti for $11,000 on an installment plan. Khoshimov paid an initial $2,000, promising to settle the rest within two months. They verbally agreed on a lease contract, and Abdukhabirov issued a power of attorney to transfer control of the vehicle. However, Khoshimov failed to pay the remaining amount and sold the Lacetti through intermediaries in the Fergana Valley. Subsequent investigations failed to locate the vehicle, its license plates, or its registration documents.

“All meat, all grease”

The group primarily hunted for targets at the Sergeli car market in Tashkent. On May 24, 2023, Solijon Khasanboev fell into their trap while trying to sell his Captiva. Zukhriddin Chalov persuaded him to take out a secondary auto loan in his name, promising to cover the payments within six months. A loan of 317 million UZS was secured from Kapitalbank’s Mirzo Ulugbek branch in Khasanboev’s name. The 2018 Captiva was re-registered with new plates and documents at the Tashkent Traffic Safety Division and placed under a bank lien. Chalov, under the pretense of leasing, took the documents and handed the vehicle to Khoshimov for illegal sale. The promised loan payments were never made, and the vehicle, with altered plates, body, and engine numbers, was sold to third parties and remains untraceable.

A $300 “Bait”

The group also exploited financially vulnerable individuals. They targeted those in need, offering $200–$300 to secure loans in their names for vehicle purchases. For example, on September 7, 2023, they deceived Gulsanam Qurbanova, a seasonal worker, convincing her to take out a secondary auto loan for $300, with promises to cover the payments. Using her passport, they falsified her information on the state services portal, registering her as self-employed. A 195.5 million UZS loan was secured from Kapitalbank’s Sergeli branch, and the purchased Lacetti was registered with new plates and documents. The vehicle was placed under a lien, and its documents were taken under the pretext of taxi services. Qurbanova was left with the loan debt, while the car was taken to a workshop where its engine and body numbers were manually altered and re-registered with forged documents before being sold. It, too, remains untraceable.

Vanished Vehicles

Using these methods, the group defrauded numerous citizens. They were apprehended on April 9, 2024, at 3:00 PM with material evidence. Court documents state they illegally acquired 276 vehicles, primarily Lacetti, Cobalt, Nexia, Malibu, Monza, and Equinox models, with some Spark, KIA, Labo, Hyundai, Tracker, and Captiva vehicles. Only 25 were recovered, 158 remain missing, and 49 were traced to Kazakhstan via the Gishtkuprik post, with 44 others smuggled through the Yallama border post, never returning to Uzbekistan.

A senior investigator from the Interior Ministry’s Investigation Department testified that 100 vehicles were included in the charges, 24 were recovered before trial, and over 100 were confirmed to be abroad. The investigation found that Akmalkhon Khoshimov earned 40.792 billion UZS from these illegal sales between 2023 and 2024.

Fake auctions

Murodillo Bayatov played a key role by forging documents to re-register illegally acquired vehicles. In one instance, a Lacetti was taken to a workshop where its engine and body numbers were altered using specialized tools, and a new number, XWB5V31BDPA927295, was applied. Using fraudulently obtained information from citizen Bakhodir Normatov, Bayatov created a fake auction certificate and sales contract, forging signatures and authenticating them with his signature, stamp, and QR code. These documents were submitted to the Tashkent Traffic Safety Division, securing new registration and plates (10 Y 081 QA). The vehicle was then sold.

“I didn’t form a crime syndicate”

In court, Akmalkhon Khoshimov partially admitted guilt but denied forming or leading a crime syndicate. “I’ve been in the car trade for years, including refurbished vehicles. I’ve bought and sold many cars and can’t recall them all. I didn’t form or lead an organized crime group. In some cases, I sold vehicles without proper documents using auction certificates. I got these from someone named Abdulakhad, whose documents seemed legitimate and were later notarized. I mainly brought repairable cars from Karakalpakstan, fixed them at home, and sold them. I sent the body numbers and colors to Abdulakhad, who provided auction documents. I sold about 50 cars this way, including 6 or 7 from Abdulakhad. He brought equipment to alter body numbers, but we couldn’t achieve the desired result. I didn’t change any body numbers,” Khoshimov stated. He also denied involvement in securing bank loans, noted he handed over 5–6 vehicles to investigators, and requested a fair verdict.

Another episode involved Khoshimov’s sexual relationship with his minor stepdaughter. The investigation initially charged him under Article 118, Part 4 (defilement of a person under 14). However, the court reclassified this under Article 128, Part 3, clauses “a” and “b” of the Criminal Code. The girl testified that her stepfather abused her for a year, giving her drugs like Lyrica and Regapen, leading to her dependency.

Punishment

The court sentenced Akmalkhon Khoshimov to 9.5 years, Khabibullo Matisaev and Shukhrat Dalimov to 9 years each, Abror Zaynutdinov, Murodillo Bayatov, and Umid Mamadaliev to 8 years and 3 months each, Zukhriddin Chalov to 9 years and 1 month, Sevara Akhmadjonova to 6 years and 8 months, Komil Yuldoshev to 3 years and 3 months, and Sardor Ergashev to 8 years and 7 months in prison.

To compensate victims, the court ordered:

• 2.952 billion UZS from Khoshimov, Chalov, and Akhmadjonova for 10 victims;
• 256 million UZS from Khoshimov, Dalimov, and Zaynutdinov for one victim;
• Over 25 billion UZS from Khoshimov, Dalimov, Zaynutdinov, Matisaev, and Mamadaliev for 157 victims;
• 458.4 million UZS from Khoshimov, Dalimov, Zaynutdinov, Matisaev, and Bayatov for 2 victims;
• Over 8.5 billion UZS from Khoshimov, Dalimov, Zaynutdinov, Matisaev, Bayatov, and Mamadaliev for 37 victims.

Additionally, 17 vehicles were returned to buyers recognized as victims, and 4 vehicles with unknown owners were allocated to compensate damages.