In his complaint to the Mahatma Phule Chowk police, Rajesh Amritlal Bhatia said a long-time friend had asked him to arrange traveller's checks for his daughter's architecture studies in Dubai
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Police in Maharashtra's Thane district have booked five members of a family for allegedly defrauding a businessman of USD 20,000 (over Rs 17 lakh) under the pretext of assisting with foreign exchange services, an official has said, reported news agency PTI.
In his complaint to the Mahatma Phule Chowk police, Rajesh Amritlal Bhatia said a long-time friend had asked him to arrange traveller's checks for his daughter's architecture studies in Dubai, reported PTI.
Citing the FIR, the official said on Tuesday that Bhatia was carrying USD 20,000 in a bag on November 6, when two brothers, one of whom worked in his friend's office, in the Kalyan area.
The duo took Bhatia to their home, claiming one of their family members had expertise in foreign travel documents. They persuaded him to hand over the money and asked him to collect the traveller's checks in the evening.
However, when Bhatia returned, the suspects provided evasive answers and eventually fled with the currency, the official said, reported PTI.
"We have registered a cheating case after a preliminary inquiry. The accused family members have been at large since the incident," said inspector Baliramsing Shankarshing Pardeshi, reported PTI.
Man loses Rs 17.61 lakh in forex trading fraud in Thane district
In another case, a 38-year-old man from Maharashtra's Thane district was allegedly duped of Rs 17.61 lakh by cyber fraudsters who promised him high returns in forex and commodity trading, police said on Tuesday, reported PTI.
The Dombivli police registered a first information report under the Information Technology Act on Sunday in connection with the fraud that occurred between August and September, an official said.
According to the complainant, the accused posed as customer support executives on Telegram and other online platforms, and lured him to invest in forex trading, gold USD, and other commodities, promising him attractive returns, he said, reported PTI.
The victim was provided with online links and persuaded to transfer money into various bank accounts, and he ended up transferring Rs 17.61 lakh as directed, the official said.
The complainant, however, did not receive any returns on his investment or a refund, he said.
"No arrests have been made so far. We are verifying bank transactions, digital trails and online links used in the fraud to identify all those involved," the official said, reported PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
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