9:27 am, August 4, 2025
A used car dealer has accused police of ‘an outrageous abuse of power’ after he was arrested and ‘humiliated’ over a customer dispute that got out of hand.
Officers were called to Pulse Cars in Birmingham last week when owner Afaq Iftikhar got into a row with a client who he claims was refusing to pay for work which had already been carried out on his car.
As a result of the argument, the 41-year-old refused to give the customer his keys back and instead held onto them as ‘collateral’.
The dealer claimed his actions were ‘ a standard legal business practise under common law’ but the customer did not agree and the local constabulary were called.
Once at the dealership, Iftikhar said he was ‘wrongfully arrested, searched and humiliated’ by the officers.
He told BirminghamLive that the police then returned the keys to the customer before ‘un-arresting’ him on the spot.
He has now described the incident as a ‘misuse of police authority’ and complained about his treatment to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
‘I was wrongfully arrested, searched and humiliated in front of my staff during a civil commercial dispute that should never have involved police – let alone criminal arrest.’ he said.
‘I was dealing with a customer who had damaged their vehicle and refused to pay for repairs they had previously agreed to.
‘As the vehicle was repaired through my own mechanic and the invoice was in my company’s name, I held the vehicle keys lawfully as collateral.’
He added: ‘They handcuffed and searched me, took the keys and invoice from my pocket, and handed them to the customer who refused to pay,” he said.
‘I was then un-arrested’ on the spot and left deeply shaken and embarrassed – with no charges, no paperwork, and no apology.
‘It has had a devastating impact on my reputation, business, and mental well-being.’
In response to the allegations, the IPOC told BirminghamLive that it was aware of the incident and it was being dealt with.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for West Midlands Police added: ‘One man was briefly arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.
‘The man was then searched and subsequently de-arrested at the scene.
‘Officers established it was a civil dispute with no further need for police action.’
