Mumbai: A Goregaon-based municipal contractor suffered a loss of Rs1.30 crore in commission fees related to the sale of antiques.
The complainant, Vasant Shetty, 73, a mechanical contractor in the Mumbai Municipality, received a call from an acquaintance who informed of an antique piece in his relative’s possession, which the Universal Group was willing to purchase for Rs200 crore. However, the relative lacked the funds to pay the 0.1% international tax amounting to Rs2 lakh. The acquaintance then convinced Shetty to invest his money to get a 50% cut of the amount received after the antique’s sale, to which he agreed.
Increased tax demand from victim
Subsequently, Shetty received numerous calls and emails from various sources, providing instructions on the commission payment process. Shetty made an initial online payment of Rs20 lakh. He was informed that the price of the antique being offered for sale was initially Rs200 crore, but it escalated to Rs300 crore and then Rs500 crore as the contractor was getting easy money.
With the increasing price, the demanded tax amount also rose. Consequently, Shetty remitted a total of Rs1.30 crore in stages to different account numbers. However, after a considerable time had passed without receiving any funds, the complainant realised that he had fallen victim to a fraud. The complainant then approached the Goregaon police station on August 29 and lodged a case of alleged cheating under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code against four individuals, identified as Arjun Sharma, Snehal Doshi, Arik Tiga, and Babu Shaikh.
