Two booked for duping investors of Rs 2.15 crore through share market schemes in Thane district

A consultancy firm operating in Maharashtras Thane district has come under police scrutiny after its operators allegedly cheated investors of more than Rs 215 crore by promising lucrative returns through fraudulent share market investment schemesThe Kalyan police have registered a case against two individuals in connection with the alleged fraud which is suspected to have affected many more investors than initially reportedConsultancy operators booked for investment fraudAccording to police an FIR has been registered against Rohit Surwade and Pratik Gaikwad who allegedly operated The Stocktone Consultancy for cheating investors between March 2022 and June 2025The case was registered on Thursday under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS and the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors MPID ActInvestigators allege that the accused lured investors by offering attractive returns through purported share market investment schemesTea vendor among victimsThe complaint was lodged by a 33yearold tea vendor from Khadakpada in Kalyan who along with several other investors allegedly invested a total of Rs 215 crore with the consultancyAccording to police when the investors later sought the return of their principal amount along with the promised profits the accused allegedly failed to repay the moneyOfficials said the consultancy had allegedly collected funds from multiple investors over several years by assuring them of high returnsPolice suspect larger financial scamInvestigators believe the fraud may be significantly larger than the amount reported in the initial complaintAccording to police the total amount involved could eventually run into several crores of rupees while the number of victims may rise to hundreds as more complaints emergeNo arrests have been made so far and the investigation is underway to trace the accused and identify additional victimsOver 130 job aspirants cheated of Rs 5268 lakhIn a separate incident in Thane district police have registered a case against eight persons associated with a recruitment agency for allegedly cheating more than 130 job aspirants of Rs 5268 lakh by promising overseas employmentAccording to police the accused operated under the name AlLimra International based in Kalyan and allegedly collected money and passports from job seekers between January and May 2026 on the promise of arranging jobs abroadAgency allegedly shut down after collecting moneyThe complaint filed by a Mumbai resident at the Mahatma Phule Chowk Police Station alleges that the agency abruptly shut down after collecting payments from applicantsPolice said many victims lost both their money and passportsOut of the total pool of more than 130 victims some have lost both their money and passports When the victims attempted to follow up on their applications they discovered that the agency had abruptly shut down its operations Inspector Vinod Patil saidThe financial loss reported so far stands at Rs 5268 lakh while efforts are underway to trace the eight accusedWith inputs from PTI