Pune Police have arrested a notorious fraudster from Kolkata who allegedly cheated multiple businessmen to the tune of several crores by promising to export low-cost scrap material from Dubai and Tanzania to India.
The accused have been identified as Bhupendra Singh alias Sanjay Kumar Raghav and Pranveer Singh, both residents of Malad East, Mumbai.
Regarding the matter, one of the victims had filed a case in Khadak Police Station.
According to the police, victim Sudhir Raghunath Barot, is a resident of Raviwar Peth and runs a utensil manufacturing business in the same locality. His business requires a large quantity of raw material on a regular basis. In 2023, the victim came in contact with Bhupendra Singh, owner of Indo Arfi Metals Co. LLC, and Pranveer Singh, owner of Subparla International LLP.
Both the accused claimed that they owned offices in Dubai and factories in Tanzania and that they were capable of supplying raw scrap material as per demand.
To gain the trust of the victim, they took him first to Dubai and then to Tanzania, where they showed him 75 tonnes of scrap material, promising to export it to Mundra Port, Gujarat.
After trusting them, a few months ago, the victim transferred a total payment of Rs 3.79 crore into their Abu Dhabi Bank account after the proper agreement. However, the accused did not send any material, nor was the amount returned.
Regarding the matter, a case was registered in Khadak Police Station under Sections 316(2), 316(5), 318(4), 61(2), 335, 336(2), 336(3), 340(1), 340(2), 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Shashikant Chawan, Senior Police Inspector of Khadak Police Station, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said the primary accused, Bhupendra Singh alias Sanjay Kumar Raghav, who previously lived in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and Malad, Mumbai, was traced to Kolkata. Accordingly, a police team was sent to Kolkata, and the accused was arrested on November 20.
During interrogation, it was revealed that he and his son had similarly cheated another victim, Milind Ravindra Nashikkar, a resident of Parvati Darshan, Pune. They took Rs 90 lakh from him through their Mashreq Bank account in Dubai using the same modus operandi.
Additionally, they have also cheated many businessmen across Kolkata, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and several other states using the same fraudulent scheme.
