Maha: Duped Pune animation artist targets others with same modus operandi to pay off debts

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An animation artist, who was duped during coronavirus-induced lockdown and came under debt, was arrested from Pune for allegedly cheating traders here with the same modus operandi, police said on Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Piyush Sharma (33), a resident of Pune in Maharashtra, they said.

Sharma's bluff was called after a businessman in Sadar Bazar lodged a complaint alleging that he had been cheated to the tune of Rs 1.73 lakh.

According to police, the businessman had placed an order of 1,200 kilograms 'pooja' and 'havan' items on an e-commerce portal. He then received a call from an unidentified person who claimed that he dealt in wholesale trading of the items and could provide them at discounted rates, they said.

The accused also sent the tax invoice of 'Vijay Creation', Katraj Kondhwa Road, Pune, Maharashtra, a registration certificate and a visiting card to the complainant, a senior police officer said.

The accused later took Rs 1,73,100 as advance payment and the rest of the amount was to be paid post delivery. After receiving the advance, the accused switched off his mobile phone and never delivered the items. Three complaints of the same modus operandi were also found to be linked, the officer said.

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"During investigation, police found that the accused was operating from Pune. Raids were conducted and he was arrested from an apartment," Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

Sharma disclosed that he used to run a shop of havan and pooja items and later started his own business in the field.

During lockdown, he was cheated by some people and suffered a huge loss which left him debt ridden. To repay the debt and earn quick money, he started cheating other traders across the country through the same fraudulent means, the DCP said.

The officer said the accused has done a diploma in animations and has good knowledge of Photoshop. He can easily make fake visiting cards and forge bills or other documents, the DCP added.

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