Barons VW in Durban, where a R1 million Amarok was stolen, has blamed the owner of the vehicle for delaying the matter saying he has refused to provide proof of purchase in order to resolve the matter.

The dealership released a statement on Monday following an article published by IOL following up on Darrel Shunmugam's saga.

In the statement, the dealership said it has made several attempts to get Shunmugam's proof of purchase, but he has not been co-operating.

"Mr Shanmugam has to date consistently and steadfastly refused to provide proof of purchase or documentation to verify the alleged value of the vehicle, despite multiple requests for him or his legal representatives to do so.

"This lack of transparency and failure to comply with basic documentation requests are obstructing the internal investigation of Barons Durban and delaying a proper resolution of this matter,'' said the dealership.

The dealership added that Shunmugam's claims that he bought his vehicle for R1 million, were unsubstantiated and insisted that it wants the actual history of this vehicle to verify the claims.

"Barons’ insurers have similarly reached out to the customer requesting his consent to obtain the vehicle’s records, but the customer has not to date provided such consent," added the dealership.

Moreover, the dealership denied any prior knowledge of a tracker being installed because Shunmugam initially told them that there was no tracker.

"Barons VW Durban categorically denies any knowledge or involvement in tampering with the vehicle’s tracking device. We further note that the customer previously stated that no tracking device was installed in the vehicle, making these new allegations both inconsistent and in clear contradiction of his previous version that no tracking device was in fact installed," added the dealership.

The dealership emphasised that it will handle this matter according to the prescripts of the law to protect the interests of all parties.

Meanwhile, Shunmugam provided IOL with an email dated December 19, 2024, sent by his lawyer to the dealership explaining that there's new information suggesting that the tracker was allegedly removed while the vehicle was at the dealership.

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Twist in R1 million stolen VW Amarok saga as dealership claims KZN man refuses to provide proof of purchase