Published on: Aug 06, 2025 08:34 am IST
They told him that they struck a deal with a Somalian trader for 52 tonnes of betel nut worth ₹1.3 crore and asked him to pay an advance payment of ₹30 lakh in cash, after which the accused didn’t respond to his calls, said a police officer
MUMBAI: A 49-year-old businessman from Andheri was duped of ₹30 lakh by three individuals who allegedly lured him to invest in their betel nut business, assuring huge profits. They told him that they struck a deal with a Somalian trader for 52 tonnes of betel nut worth ₹1.3 crore and asked him to pay an advance payment of ₹30 lakh in cash, after which the accused didn’t respond to his calls, said a police officer.
₹30 lakh in fake betel nut trade deal” title=”Three booked for duping bizman of ₹30 lakh in fake betel nut trade deal” />According to the police, the businessman, Shriprakash Shyamnarayan Shukla, was approached by one of his relatives, Sundar alias Amresh Mishra, in December last year, asking if he was interested in investing in the betel nut business of one of his acquaintances, Ramkishana Pandey, from Ulhasnagar, who was looking for investors.
Subsequently, Shukla met Pandey and two of his associates, Rakesh Gupta and Manoj Patel, who promised him huge profit and signed a deal, said a police officer. Gupta and Patel told Shukla that they had struck a deal with a trader in Somalia for 52 tonnes of betel nut worth ₹1.3 crore and that an advance amount of ₹30 lakh had to be paid, the officer added.
“When Shukla offered to give a cheque of ₹30 lakh, but they insisted he give the advance amount in cash and the rest later, via cheque or RTGS. After he handed them ₹30 lakh in cash, they told him that the consignment would reach Delhi in three days,” the police said. When Shukla tried to follow up, he didn’t receive any response from any of them. His relative Mishra, too, was trying to reach them but they were not reachable, he added.
Realising that he had been cheated, he approached the police. Based on his complaint, the police registered a case on Monday against the three accused under sections 316 (2) (criminal breach of trust) and 318 (4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
