Conman poses as customs clearing agent, dupes Juhu bizzman of ₹1.26 cr

Businessman duped of ₹1.26 crore by fake custom clearing agent in Mumbai. Accused sold luxury goods at cheap rates, didn't deliver. Case registered.

MUMBAI: A Juhu-based businessman was allegedly duped of ₹1.26 crore by a man who pretended to be a custom clearing agent and sold him luxury cars, bikes and expensive phones at lesser rates. The Sahar police registered a case against the accused, Aristide Fernandes and his wife, Safira Aristide, on Monday.

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The complainant, Dheeraj Lakhani, 44, has an import-export business and has an office in Andheri West. Lakhani claims that in 2021, he was in Lokhandwala Complex and met Aristide in the same building, who introduced himself as a customs clearing agent.

They quickly became friends, and Aristide and his wife, with their children, started visiting their house for family functions and gatherings.

On Diwali, Aristide called Lakhani, saying that he has a stock of iPhones, liquor bottles, Samsung fold mobiles, and Macbook-Pro laptops available in auction at cheaper rates. An iPhone 13 Pro (512 GB) was sold at ₹75,000, whereas the market price is about 1.5 lakh.

Besides, he also stated that other expensive gadgets, like iPhones, MacBooks, and Samsung Fold3, are at half the market price, said a police officer.

The accused again asked him to buy 46 kilograms of gold, 22 cars, 19 bikes, one drone, four lance, and two Canon cameras for a total of ₹37 lakh. Lakhani saw it as a profitable deal and paid the amount in instalments. The accused couple promised that their money was safe, added the officer.

In January 2022, Safira told the complainant that they were shifting to another flat in the Lokhandwala area, and her husband was already staying with a local MLA in Malad. The accused further said that the local MLA and his wife also wanted to be part of the deal, and this time, the deal was huge in which Mercedes E-class, BMW, Mini Cooper, and many more expensive vehicles were up for auction. The accused even shared the email of the deal to get his trust. After seeing the email, Lakhani paid him more money.

The businessman said in his written statement that he ended up paying a total of ₹1.26 crore to the accused from 2021 to 2022 but did not receive any of the goods promised. The accused shared a few documents claiming that his goods were in clearance, but when Lakhani checked he found the papers were forged. He confronted Aristide, who got angry and threatened him with dire consequences if he approached the police, said a police officer.

The accused has been booked under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 419 ( Punishment for cheating by personation), 506(2) (criminal intimidation) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.