Car seller claims he caught two men messing with his BMW to make it smoke during test drive

A car seller claims he caught two men messing with his BMW to make it smoke during a test drive - before they allegedly tried it buy it for a third of the price.

The pair turned up at Bikramjit Kooner's home in Norwich on Saturday (14/5) to look at his 520D M Sport.

But the dad-of-one says he soon became wary when one of the buyers beckoned him round to the boot of the car - while the other stayed at the front.

Then, a few minutes into the test drive, the motor started to fill with a thick smoke - and the three men quickly drove back to Bikramjit’s home.

They opened the bonnet where more smoke bloomed out, and the customers then allegedly offered to buy the car for £2,000 for “scrap” - nearly £4,000 less than what was advertised online.

Courier driver Bikramjit, 52, turned them down after checking the price with pals and, his suspicions still aroused, checked his CCTV - and was shocked with what he saw.

He alleged: “[They] put engine oil into the coolant system and poured used engine oil on the side of the engine.

“They pulled the air filter off so smoke could go straight inside the car before the test drive.

"I was thinking all night about when I left them alone to get the paperwork, but it was only 30 or 40 seconds.

“But luckily my camera was on record.”

CCTV footage shows that, when one of the buyers had asked him to fetch some paperwork, they had popped open the bonnet and appeared to pour something in.

Bikramjit says they poured some oil into the BMW's coolant fluid.

And when Bikramjit returned with the paperwork he was distracted by one of the men around the back of the car, while the other splashed more liquid onto the engine and appeared to unclip the air filters, he alleges.

The seller contacted Norfolk Constabulary to report the crime, and enquiries are ongoing.

Luckily, Bikramjit did not go through with the sale, but he wants to share his story to protect others from falling for a similar alleged scam.