Three booked for wrongfully restraining trader in China

A businessman and his associates were threatened and restrained in a hotel in China due to an alleged debt owed by one of the businessman's employees. The police have registered a case against the individuals involved.

MUMBAI: A 25-year-old businessman, Hitesh Mali, and his two associates were threatened and restrained in a hotel in China, as one of his employees allegedly owed money to an Indian businessman. The L T Marg police said that two Indians and two unknown Chinese nationals were involved in the wrongful confinement.

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According to the police, Mali, who deals in imitation jewellery, runs a store called Bhavana Imitation Jewellery at Juma Masjid in South Mumbai. Mali told the police that most imitation jewellery store owners purchase jewellery and parts from Yiwu in China’s Zhejiang province.

On March 17, Mali, along with Mangilal Rao and Sohan Singh Rajpurohit, who are also in the imitation jewellery business, went to China to check samples. “While at their hotel in Yiwu, a person called Chand Shah and two Chinese nationals approached them,” said a police officer. “They told Mali to return the money he had taken from Vipendra Singh Rajpurohit alias V P Singh, who has a shop next to Mali’s shop in South Mumbai. As Mali had taken neither money nor materials from him, he refused.”

The men then told Mali that they knew his employee Kalpesh Mali, and that Kalpesh had taken material worth ₹36 lakh from V P Singh. “Kalpesh later suffered losses due to COVID-19 and did not repay Singh,” said a police officer. “The men thought Kalpesh Mali was Hitesh Mali’s business partner.”

The men prevented Hitesh and his companions from leaving the room, and warned them that if they tried to flee, the two Chinese nationals would kill them. They added that if they did not repay Singh’s money in time, they would have to pay ₹1 crore and would not be allowed to return home from China.

“Finally, late in the night, the trio of threateners left the hotel,” said a police officer. “Hitesh and his associates immediately left for India. The first thing they did was to call Singh and tell him that they were in no way involved but would convince Kalpesh Mali to return his money. When they reached Mumbai, they met Singh, who warned them to pay up or face the consequences. Singh told them that Chand Shah and the Chinese nationals were dangerous people, who would stop their going to China and could even kill them.”

After being approached, the police registered a case against Singh and Chand Shah, who lives in China, along with two unidentified people for conspiracy, wrongful restraint to extort property and putting persons in fear of death or of grievous hurt to commit extortion. V P Singh alias V S Rajpurohit was subsequently arrested.