FIR against former minister in cheating case in Kolhapur

KOLHAPUR: The city police have registered an FIR against a former minister under Section 420 of Indian Penal Code for allegedly cheating the complainant and farmers to the tune of Rs 40 crore.
The complainant, Vivek Vinayak Kulkarni, has alleged that in 2012, farmers gave Rs10,000 each to set up a sugar factory on cooperative basis. Kulkarni claimed that the farmers were promised that they would be made shareholders of the factory, a police statement quoted the FIR.
Calls made to Vikas Badve, police inspector of Murgud Police Station, and the former minister went unanswered till the time of going to the print.
The FIR further states that the farmers were told they would be entitled to the shares in the profit of the factory. The FIR has been registered with Murgud police station based on Kulkarni’s complaint and the police have issued a statement.
The complainant told the police that they had learnt that the factory is registered as Limited Liability Partnership and recently got to know that the ex-minister and his relatives are the partners in the factory, the police statement states. The supporters of the ex-minister, who spoke to TOI, said they were going to hold a protest march on Murgud Police Station on Saturday morning.