Ludhiana builder duped of ₹39L by legal aide

Accused used to lie to the Ludhiana-based builder about fake cases against the firm to grab money, would use forged court documents to substantiate his claims.

A builder lost ₹39 lakh to his employee who duped him on the pretext of settling fake court cases.

A Ludhiana builder was duped of ₹39 lakh by his legal aide. (HT File)

According to the information, the accused, Sukhjeet Singh of Kila Raipur, was taking care of the firm’s legal matter. He used to lie to the owner about fake cases against the firm to grab money. He would use forged court documents to substantiate his claims.

The complainant, Bharat Bhushan Sharma, 55, of Haibowal Khurd, told police that Sukhjeet was a lawyer’s assistant when he hired him. In September 2022, Sukhjeet told him that a person named Narinder Kapoor had filed a case in the court against his sons, accusing them for executing theft and snatching in Himachal Pradesh. He asked for ₹39 lakh to settle the case, which the complainant paid.

However, Sharma later discovered the fraud and filed a police complaint in June this year.

A case under sections 420 (cheating) 465, 467, 468, 471 (all forgery) was registered at the PAU police station. Assistant sub-inspector Ashwani Kumar, who is investigating the case, said a hunt is on to arrest the accused.