Rajkot: A 61-year-old silver merchant, Chandrakant Sachaniya, was shocked when he received a call from one Amit Jain, Mumbai-based jeweller claiming that he had been duped out of a large sum of money by someone using Sachaniya's fake enterprise profile on Facebook.
Following the phone call, Sachaniya filed a complaint at the Rajkot cybercrime police station on Saturday.The case was registered under sections 318(4), 319(2) of the BNS Act and applicable IT Act provisions, concerning deceptive practices involving a fake Facebook account.
Police traced the contact number posted on the fake Facebook page to Jalpesh Nariyani, leading to an FIR against him and other potential accomplices who might be identified during the ongoing investigation.
The accused allegedly established a fraudulent business presence by creating a counterfeit Facebook profile of Sachaniya's enterprise — Prem Silver Ornaments. As per Sachaniya's complaint, Jain who owns Shanti Gold, informed him about the dubious Facebook account. Police reported that Jain lost Rs 7.64 lakh to these cybercriminals.
The fraudulent profile, operating under ‘Prem Silver Ornaments', showcased jewellery images and provided WhatsApp contact details. Upon Jain's contact, the perpetrator sent business credentials of Prem Silver Ornaments through WhatsApp and persuaded him to submit an order. The fraudster instructed payment to be made to an account held by Kaushik Parmar, but did not deliver any goods.
Investigations showed that the scam involved creating false social media content under ‘Prem Silver Ornaments Rajkot' to deceive various traders. Sachaniya indicated that these activities were harming his legitimate business's standing.