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Ludhiana: Merchant navy officer alleges over ₹1-cr fraud by ‘business partner’
Merchant Navy officer alleges repeated investments were sought for a machine that could generate electricity without oil or water; Basant Avenue resident booked for fraud
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Sadar police have booked a Basant Avenue resident for allegedly defrauding a city-based merchant navy officer of ₹1.60 crore after promising him a machine that could generate electricity without oil or water.
The complainant, Jasmin Singh Grewal, told police that Ramandeep Singh, a resident of Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Nagar, Basant Avenue, approached him around two years ago, claiming to be developing a kinetic motion machine capable of generating electricity without oil or water.
Ramandeep allegedly demonstrated the purported technology and subsequently persuaded Grewal to invest in the project.
According to the complaint, Grewal initially paid ₹7 lakh and made several payments towards components and technical work, eventually taking his investment to ₹1.60 crore.
Despite repeated assurances that the machine would soon become operational, the project allegedly failed to materialise, the merchant navy officer told police.
Company floated, investments continue
The complainant later entered into an agreement with Ramandeep, and Radius-7 Innovation Pvt Ltd was incorporated in May 2025, with both becoming directors.
Grewal alleged that the incorporation of the company was part of the accused’s broader scheme to secure further investments from him.
The allegations took a wider turn after Ramandeep asked Grewal to participate in a podcast recorded in August 2025.
After Grewal’s phone number was shared following the podcast, he allegedly began receiving calls from people from across the country who claimed they too had invested money in the same project and had not received the promised machines.
Grewal also told police that some of his merchant navy colleagues had invested around ₹31 lakh after being assured that the machines would be manufactured and sent to Singapore.
The machines were allegedly never supplied, the complaint stated.
Other investors raise similar allegations against accused
During his subsequent inquiries, Grewal claimed he learnt that an FIR had been registered against Ramandeep in Kurukshetra in 2017. He also alleged that people from Uttar Pradesh, Pune and Haryana contacted him with similar complaints against the accused.
The complainant further alleged that after he returned from Canada on June 30 following a wedding, Ramandeep disappeared.
Grewal claimed that valuable material and cash were also missing from the company premises, although the accused allegedly continued assuring him that the machine would soon become operational.
Grewal subsequently served Ramandeep a legal notice dated July 8 and alleged that he was also threatened.
According to the complaint, Ramandeep allegedly told him that he had cheated Grewal and intended to target someone else, before returning some of the money.
Police have also received complaints from two other Ludhiana residents, who allegedly claimed to have been cheated of ₹11 lakh and ₹14 lakh respectively in connection with the project.
Cops say probe on, accused booked for fraud
Following an inquiry into Grewal’s complaint, Sadar police registered an FIR against Ramandeep under Sections 316 (2) (criminal breach of trust), 318 (4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property), 336 (2) (forgery, including both physical documents and digital or electronic records), 338 (forgery of valuable security, wills), 336 (3) (forgery, intending that the document or electronic record forged shall be used for the purpose of cheating) and 340 (2) (fraudulently or dishonestly using a forged paper or digital file as real, knowing it is fake) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Assistant sub-inspector Saraj Kumar said the FIR was registered after an inquiry and a probe is on to nab the accused. “Further investigation will establish facts of the case,” the ASI added.
