Duo dupe spice exporter of ₹1 crore

The LT Marg police in Mumbai are searching for two individuals who allegedly scammed a spices exporter out of ₹1 crore ($140,000) by promising high returns on an investment. The victim handed over the cash to the suspects, who then fled with the money. A case has been registered and the investigation is ongoing.

MUMBAI: The LT Marg police has launched a manhunt for two persons who allegedly duped a Goregaon-based spices exporter of ₹1 crore claiming they would return 50% more than the amount he paid in cash.

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According to the police, the complainant Chandrakant Mistry, 49, claimed that he was introduced to the accused by two agents in the Kalbadevi area. One of the accused claimed he was into trading and was also associated with a Delhi-based charity, and Mistry could get high returns on investing in his firm. He also shared his firm’s papers with the victim, said a police officer.

Later, the businessman and the accused met at LT Marg, wherein the duo claimed that if Mistry paid them ₹1 crore in cash, they would send him ₹1.5 crore via RTGS. They agreed to meet in the Kalbadevi area again on Thursday afternoon as per the duo’s advice, said the officer.

Mistry then handed over ₹1 crore to the accused in a bag in an angadia’s office near Bank of Baroda in LT Marg. But the accused claimed that there was a network issue and funds were not being transferred. They offered to check with the bank and were accompanied by Mistry’s associate. But they fled with the cash-laden bag even as the associate was waiting near the bank, said a police officer who is part of the probe. Meanwhile, the angadia also closed his office and could not be found in the vicinity.

“We have scanned CCTV footage from the area, and the investigation is based on technical evidence,” said an officer.