The airport police are on the look out for a 23-year-old BPO owner, after another BPO proprietor claimed that he was defrauded by the accused to the tune of lakhs of rupees.
The complainant registered the case on Saturday stating that the accused promised his firm a lucrative outsourcing project from a US-based company, charged them various fees and then disappeared.
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During the course of police investigation, it came to light that several other software companies were defrauded in a similar way. Police believe the accused has pocketed Rs 50 lakh and absconded. The accused has been identified as Kamleshkumar Sharma, a resident of Lohegaon who owns the firm Exotics BPO Pvt Ltd, having its registered address in Vimannagar. Amul Vora, director of Ceylon Infotech, a software and outsourcing firm, had filed the complaint.u00a0
According to the police, Sharma has duped six to seven other software firms by making false promises and taking advance money in the name of consulting charges, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) fees, stamp duty etc. u00a0“In the month of January, Sharma approached Vora and offered him a customer care project from a US-based firm called Expedia. When Vora and other board directors agreed to enter an agreement with the American firm, he charged them consulting and MoU fees,” said Police Inspector Sunil Gharge of the Airport police station.u00a0
Gharge said that Sharma duped Vora’s firm of Rs 8.5 lakh by promising them the project and had kept their suspicions at bay by informing them that American executives would be visiting their firm soon to inspect their office before handing over the project. He had them fooled “The officials of the Ceylon Infotech believed Sharma, as his convincing skills were unquestionable. They also checked Sharma’s company’s profile and only after verifying it as a registered company did they give him the money,” said Gharge.
Police said that Vora got suspicious after Sharma stopped answering his calls and switched off his mobile phone. Sharma then approached the police and lodged a complaint.u00a0“We visited the accused’s firm in Vimannagar, and found that the three-room office had only two staffers working and they were not paid their salaries since several months,” said Gharge. He said that they also sent a team to search Sharma’s Lohegaon residence, but it was locked.
“We suspect that there are several more people and companies that have been duped in a similar fashion. We appeal to the people to approach the police station if they have been cheated by Sharma,” said Gharge. “Sharma has duped seven people, including Vora, and the amount defrauded from them is approximately Rs 50 lakh.”u00a0Sharma has been booked under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC. u00a0
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