Mumbai: Income Tax Officer Manish Thakur, 54, lost Rs.30.50 lakh in an investment fraud. Two garment businessmen assured him that they had made his wife a partner in their business and took Rs.30.50 lakh via cheque. However, they neither made his wife a partner in business nor returned his money. Based on Thakur's complaint, the Powai police registered an FIR under sections 34 (common intention) and 420 (cheating and dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code. The case was filed on January 28.
According to the FIR, complainant Thakur resides in the Income Tax Colony in Powai. The accused, Amarsingh Rajpurohit and his son Kamlesh Rajpurohit, operate a clothing shop named Jyot Leela at Mahatma Phule Market in Powai.
Thakur had known both accused since 2005, as he used to purchase clothes for his family from their shop. The complainant and the accused shared a good relationship. Over time, the accused tried to convince Thakur to invest in their business, telling him about its profitability.
In 2023, the accused assured Thakur that his wife would be made a partner in their business and claimed that they were making good profits. Thakur agreed, and between January 2023 and August 2023, he gave them Rs.30.50 lakh through multiple cheques from his SBI account. After handing over the cheques, Thakur asked the accused to draft an agreement confirming his wife's partnership in the business.
However, they kept avoiding it and later stopped communicating with him. They switched off their phones, shut down their shop, and disappeared. Eventually, Thakur filed a complaint against both accused, leading the police to register an FIR.
