Pune: Duo charged with duping man of Rs 60 lakh over business deal

PUNE: The Sangvi police on Saturday registered a case against a Hyderabad-based duo on the charge of duping a man from Pimpri Saudagar, now settled in Dubai, of Rs60 lakh, under the pretext of providing surgical gloves on a contractual basis.
The victim had transferred the money last July via RTGS from his bank account in Pimpri Chinchwad. Despite repeated follow-ups, when the suspects did not deliver the order and did not return his money back, he filed a complaint through his friend, giving him the power of attorney in the case, making him the complainant.
The complainant told TOI that his friend works in Dubai with a company and is also involved in a business. “The victim’s contact in Dubai told him that a Canadian-based company required gloves during the Covid-19 pandemic last year.” the complainant said.
“The victim then came in contact with the suspects from Hyderabad, who promised to supply the gloves. The suspects took Rs60 lakh as a security deposit and informed the victim that a supplier based in the US will provide the gloves to the Canadian company,” the complainant added.
The complainant added, “However when the suspects did not deliver the gloves, the Canadian company cancelled the order. That is when the victim found out that the suspects had given him a fake address of a company in the United States.”
The victim then demanded his money back from the suspects. The suspects first shared a fake Unique Transaction Reference (UTR) with the victim and then sent him blank papers under the pretext of returning money via cheques. When the victim continued his pursuit of the money, the suspects threatened to kill him. Following which the complainant lodged an FIR.
Sub-inspector M N Varude of the Sangvi police is investigating the case.