Mumbai: Malad police have booked a 35-year-old man for duping a group of people of Rs 38 lakh on the pretext of investing in a hoarding project, which could give them handsome returns.
The accused, Sharik Khan, met the complainant in 2015 and took the amount in a series of transactions in the name of investment, but when a considerable time passed and there were no signs of returns, the complainant and her brother approached Khan, after which he vanished. No arrests have been made and the investigation is underway.
In 2015, the complainant, Shweta Shelke, 40, a private firm employee, learnt from her cousin Nilesh Gawde about an investment scheme in a company, Minimaxx, which could give them instant returns.
Interested in the scheme, Shelke met Khan and Gawde near Oberoi Mall in Goregaon (E), where Khan said that the company needs an investment of Rs 30 lakh to go ahead with the project.
When Shelke said she could not come up with such a big amount, Khan said that Gawde and another man, Pritesh Chalkar have pitched in a substantiate amount and they can make do with the remaining.
Accordingly, Shelke contacted a few of her friends and they collected Rs 12.66 lakh, which was handed over to Khan in cheques. Back then, Khan had promised that the project will be over by the next year, but as time passed, there was no breakthrough in the project.
Subsequently, Shelke also learnt that Khan had also duped others using the same modus operandi, and no returns have been earned by them in any of such ‘projects’.
Repeated calls and messages sent by the complainant got no response, they visited Khan’s Malad residence in 2018, where they met his wife.
