Navi Mumbai: Couple booked for cheating man of Rs 24 lakh

Representational Image. Pic/iStock

A couple was booked for cheating a man of Rs 24 lakh in Navi Mumbai. An offence has been registered against a couple owning a used car dealership for allegedly cheating a man of Rs 24 lakh in Navi Mumbai, police told news agency PTI on Friday.

Based on a complaint, an offence under section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Sajid Sheikh and his wife Shaheen, assistant inspector Nath Lokhande of the CBD-Belapur police station told PTI.

The duo, who dealt in used cars, allegedly took Rs 24 lakh from the victim as an investment to purchase a car, which they later sold without his knowledge. The couple allegedly failed to return the money to the complainant and also did not share any proceeds from the business, the official told PTI.

The couple allegedly cheated the complainant between April and October 2021, the official told PTI.

In another case, a case was registered against unidentified persons for stealing an idol worth Rs 60,000 from a temple in Navi Mumbai, a police official told PTI on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday night in Turbhe Naka. The Ram-Sita-Laxman idol was made of several metals, the police official told PTI

Efforts are on to nab the culprits, the Turbhe police station official told PTI.

Meanwhile, a 33-year-old man from Navi Mumbai has become the latest victim of the "online task" fraud and lost more than Rs 43 lakh to fraudsters who lured him under the pretext of earning big returns, police told news agency PTI.

The fraudsters contacted the man, a resident of Koparkhairane area, on Whatsapp and told him that he could earn good money if he completed a part-time job involving online tasks, an official told PTI.

"Hoping to earn good returns, the victim ended up paying Rs 43.45 lakh in different bank accounts but never received any remuneration," the official told PTI quoting the First Information Report.

A case was registered under section 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). No arrest has been made so far, reported PTI.

The "online task fraud" typically involves trapping victims by making them perform tasks like liking videos etc. and making small payments initially to win their trust. The victims were later lured to invest money to earn big returns.

(With inputs from PTI)