Sri Lankan car dealer sentenced over odometer tampering in New Zealand

A Sri Lankan car dealer in New Zealand has been sentenced after a Toyota RAV4’s odometer was reduced by more than 30,000 kilometres before it was sold for $24,000.

Sachinthaka Nagasinghe, a Tauranga-based motor vehicle trader, appeared before the Tauranga District Court and was ordered to pay $1,000 in reparation for emotional harm. His company, Sachis Holdings Ltd, which trades as Carporium, was fined $5,000.

The vehicle’s odometer showed 150,031 kilometres when it was sold at an Auckland car auction to Nagasinghe’s company in December 2023.

However, when Carporium sold the vehicle to a new owner three months later, in February 2024, the odometer showed only 119,244 kilometres. This was a reduction of more than 30,000 kilometres.

The buyer did not discover the issue until taking the vehicle for servicing in May 2025, more than a year after purchasing it.

Service technicians noticed that the odometer reading did not match the vehicle’s recorded service history. They reported their concerns to the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Traders through the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

An investigation by New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) later confirmed that the odometer had been tampered with.

Two charges were filed under the Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003. They related to tampering with an odometer without a reasonable excuse and aiding and abetting the company in committing the offence.

Before sentencing, Nagasinghe agreed to buy back the Toyota RAV4 for $24,000, the same amount the customer had originally paid for it.