Mira Bhayandar: Saree seller seeking ₹10 lakh loan duped of ₹1.18 lakh using magic pen

Mira Bhayandar: In yet another case of cheque fraud through erasable (magic) ink pen, a 32-year-old saree trader from Mira Road was duped of Rs. 1.18 lakh by a conman on the pretext of securing a business loan.

In his statement to the police, the complainant who runs a saree showroom in the Ramdev Park area of Mira Road said that a person claiming to be a representative of a leading non-banking financial company (NBFC) approached him and offered to help him secure a business loan amounting Rs. 10 lakh.

Cancelled cheque used to withdraw funds

Since the complainant needed funds he accepted the offer and handed over documents including- identity proofs, bank statements and two “cancelled” cheques to process the loan. Moreover, the fraudster advised the complainant to keep a maximum amount in his account. However, the complainant was shocked to learn that Rs.1,18,000 had been fraudulently withdrawn from his bank account using one of the cancelled cheques. The accused who had crossed the cheque with his own pen apparently altered the contents of the instrument to withdraw cash from the bank. 

Following a complaint registered by the victim, the Mira Road police filed an offence under section 420 (cheating) of the IPC against the unidentified fraudster. Notably, the  Navghar police in Bhayandar had arrested a 38-year-old fraudster in December-2022 for his involvement in duping people by taking crossed and cancelled cheques inked with erasable (magic) pen on the pretext of securing loans for them. Further investigations were on.