Couple booked for cheating investors of Rs 75 lakh

MUMBAI: A 42-year-old man from Gujarat, who, along with his wife, claimed to be the director of a vegetable and fruit trading company, lured a businessman to invest Rs 75 lakh, promising returns of 18 per cent profit, and duped him. He was arrested by the crime branch.
The unit 4 of the crime branch arrested Pareshkumar Patel, a resident of Surat on charges of cheating and forgery.
Businessman Mohammed Kasimali Khan filed a complaint with the Matunga police, alleging that Patel and his wife, Asha Patel, persuaded him to invest money in their business.
"Putting trust in the Patel couple, Khan, along with his friend Ali Naqvi, Nirav Nikalwala, Mohammed Mirza, and a few others collectively invested Rs 75 lakh. To build their confidence, Khan initially paid them a total profit of Rs 3.78 lakhs over a few months. However, he later issued several cheques and requested that they not deposit them until further notice.
Later, when one of the investors visited Patel's stated office in Sion for verification, he was astounded to discover that no such office existed in that building. This raised suspicions of foul play," stated an officer.
They then lodged an FIR with the Matunga police.