Navi Mumbai: Woman, posing as bank official, defrauds market body of over Rs 54 cr

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Navi Mumbai police have registered a case against a woman who allegedly posed as an official from a nationalised bank and defrauded the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Iron & Steel Market Committee of over Rs 54 crore, an official reported on Tuesday.

According to a complaint filed by the Kalamboli-based committee, the woman addressed its members and office bearers in June 2022, pretending to be a manager of a nationalised bank in Panvel. She acquired their trust and persuaded them to put the committee's funds in fixed deposits, offering great interest rates and supplying forged documents as proof, stated a report in PTI.

According to the PTI report, the committee invested Rs 54.28 crore, for which the woman submitted fraudulent receipts. When the committee wanted a refund and interest after the deposits matured, she responded evasively and failed to return the money.

On May 24, 2024, the woman delivered a falsified letter, purportedly from the bank's treasury and investment department, requesting further time to repay the monies and interest, the report added.

On Monday, police filed a complaint under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), and other pertinent articles of the Indian Penal Code. Investigations are now underway.

Another businessman based in Malad of duped by two persons of Rs 68 lakhs. The two accused had convinced the businessman, who deals with corporate gifting, that they had tie-up with Apple and could get him phones for a competitive price. He ordered 110 pieces and made a payment of Rs 40 lakhs until March 1, 2024 starting last year. However, the duo evaded him without either returning the money or giving him the phones.

Sangli man booked for duping investors of Rs 90.5 lakh in crypto fraud

In another incident from Thane district, a case has been filed against a guy from Maharashtra's Sangli for allegedly defrauding customers of Rs 90.5 lakh by promising high profits on cryptocurrency investments, police said on Tuesday.

Another PTI report stated that one Naresh Shankar Joshi and his firm Pinamic Traders were charged with cheating under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Protection of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Act, 1999, by Thane district police on Monday, according to an official.

According to the complaint, the accused reportedly scammed 42 investors out of 90.5 lakh in cryptocurrency since 2018, luring them in with promises of rich returns. An investigation has begun into the case, the report stated.