Exporter dupes Blue Dart of ₹1.1 crore then threatens to kill self

According to the Vile Parle police, the accused contacted the courier firm in January, saying he wanted to send his products to foreign countries.

Mumbai: An Andheri-based garments exporter allegedly failed to pay pending bills amounting to ₹1.05 crore to the courier firm Blue Dart. The accused – Ratnakar Pandey – also allegedly threatened to kill himself if the courier firm did not stop asking for the money. Subsequently, on Tuesday, Blue Dart approached the police and a case was registered against Pandey.

After repeated attempts to reach Pandey and recover the dues, Blue Dart approached the police on Tuesday with a formal complaint against him. “We have booked Pandey for cheating and criminal breach of trust and have initiated investigations into the matter,” the officer added. (Image for representation)

According to the Vile Parle police, the accused contacted the courier firm in January, saying he wanted to send his products to foreign countries. The courier company sent representatives to his office in Andheri for a physical verification after which the contract was signed and the firm started sending his shipments in February.

“The initial payments were made through an account that was not connected to Pandey’s company, but he claimed that this was a temporary arrangement as he was setting up some new bank accounts. However, in March, the number of his shipments increased drastically and no payments were coming in. When we asked Pandey about it, he said he had been hospitalised and would clear the payments soon,” said Tushar Kadam, assistant manager (sales), Blue Dart, in his statement to the police.

Over the next one-month, Blue Dart kept chasing Pandey, who first issued post-dated cheques that bounced and then said that he was in his native Uttar Pradesh as his mother had passed away. During the period, they also found that the Andheri office that had been physically verified by them had shut down. Pandey gave them a new address based in Bhiwandi, which turned out to be fake.

“In June, Pandey sent Blue Dart an email saying that he would kill himself if they did not stop bothering him. After this, he switched off his mobile phone and stopped responding to emails,” said a police officer.

After repeated attempts to reach Pandey and recover the dues, Blue Dart approached the police on Tuesday with a formal complaint against him. “We have booked Pandey for cheating and criminal breach of trust and have initiated investigations into the matter,” the officer added.