The key facts
- Customers paid advances of $4,200 to $9,000 for cars from China, but VIN codes never arrived
- “Drive avenue” MCHJ was re-registered on August 24, 2026 — the same day one of the victims signed the contract
- According to the Tashkent Main Department of Internal Affairs, the cases of five companies linked to Bekzod Bahtimurodov have been consolidated; damages — 10 billion 902 million soums, 5 billion 207 million reimbursed
Promises of cars from China and vanished advances
Kamoliddin Nabiev, a resident of Tashkent, wanted to buy a BYD E2 on favorable terms and responded to an ad on Olx. At the dealership, he was met by several female employees who promised to bring the car from China within 25–30 days and offered installment plans. He paid $4,200 as a down payment and signed a contract. After 25 days, the VIN code still had not been sent, and they only got in touch using new phone numbers. According to him, he realized he had fallen victim to frauders after unsuccessful attempts to reach an employee named Halilulloh. His sister also paid $6,200 for a BYD with a monthly payment of 5.1 million soums. Another Tashkent resident, Abzal Zuhurov, according to Kun.uz, paid $9,000. The outlet notes that many lost $9,000 to $10,000 after believing promises to bring cars from China.
A “fresh” company with an old history
Contracts with customers were concluded on behalf of “Drive avenue” MCHJ, which, according to open data, was registered on April 11, 2022; the founder is Halilullo Yusupov. However, as Kun.uz writes, the company was created through the re-registration of “Dynamics Ma” MChJ on August 24, 2026 — the same day Kamoliddin Nabiev signed the contract. Nabiev himself said that after discovering the deception, he began summoning the founder Halilullo Yusupov for questioning. Yusupov stated that he was the head only nominally, and that another person stood behind the business.
The unofficial head and the previous case
The victims claim that in fact “Drive avenue” MChJ was unofficially run by Bekzod Bahtimurodov; Kun.uz has a video of a conversation between Yusupov and Bahtimurodov as his superior. A year ago, the outlet already wrote about the company “Global avto kredit” MChJ, whose founder and head is Bahtimurodov and which also promised to bring cars from China. According to the press secretary of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Shohruh Giyasov, a criminal case was opened against Bahtimurodov and others on November 12, 2025, and now a fraud case in an especially large amount has been opened against him; a pre-trial detention measure has been applied to him. Giyasov did not answer the question about the date of the arrest. According to the outlet, the dealership’s managers received $100 for each contract concluded; in an audio recording of a conversation between an employee and Yusupov, he confirms that Bahtimurodov stands behind the business. Kun.uz was unable to reach Yusupov.
Data from the Main Department of Internal Affairs: consolidated cases and damages
The head of the press service of the capital’s Main Department of Internal Affairs, Nilufar Madieva, reported that the Mirabad District Court for Security Affairs ordered, on September 24, 2026, the pre-trial detention measure in the form of arrest for Bekzod Bahtimurodov and Aziz Rahimjonov. As of October 15, the damages in the criminal case amounted to 10 billion 902 million soums, of which 5 billion 207 million soums have been reimbursed. The cases involving the companies “Jas auto motors”, “Auto villace”, “Next avtocity” and “Global avto kredit” MChJ have been consolidated, since Bahtimurodov’s involvement was established. “Drive avenue” MChJ is yet another episode. The outlet notes: three of the consolidated companies, including “Drive avenue”, were re-registered after November 2025, when a case was opened against Bahtimurodov and he was left at large, which, in Kun.uz’s view, allowed him to continue deceiving people.
Why the investigation has lasted more than a year
To the question of why the investigation of the case opened in November 2025 has still not been completed, Nilufar Madieva replied that a documentary audit has been appointed, victims have been questioned, confrontations and other investigative actions have been carried out; due to the large volume of the case and the identification of new circumstances, investigative actions are ongoing. Kun.uz recalls that in January 2026, at a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the activities of criminal groups operating “under the mask of business,” including in the car sales sphere, were criticized. The president gave examples: the companies “Umid Avtolizing” and “Halol Avtolizing” collected 80 billion soums from 1,800 citizens by promising car deliveries, while the construction companies “Credit House” and “Infin Story Invest” embezzled 490 billion soums from 2,000 citizens under the pretext of selling apartments. “When will an end be put to the activities of such organized criminal groups, Toshpulat? If not you, then who?” Mirziyoyev then addressed the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Concluding the publication, Kun.uz asks why the laws that work against bloggers and activists do not apply to figures such as Bekzod Bahtimurodov.
