Auto trader alleges 28.5L investment fraud, 4 booked

Rajkot: A 55-year-old automobile trader has filed a complaint with A Division police station in Rajkot, alleging he was cheated of Rs 28.5 lakh by four persons linked to Diesel Auto Corporation.The complainant, Nimesh Rughani, told police that in 2024, Mahendra Mehta, one of the owners of Diesel Auto Corporation, approached him with an investment scheme promising high returns to friends and relatives. Mehta allegedly assured returns of up to 12% within nine months and persuaded him to invest.Rughani said he invested Rs 32 lakh in two separate schemes. While he received Rs 3.5 lakh as returns, the remaining Rs 28.5 lakh was neither repaid nor explained, following which he approached the police.Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR under Sections 318(5) and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Mahendra Mehta, Hitesh Mehta, Naman Mehta and another person identified as Champak.Police said preliminary inquiry revealed the accused are associated with Diesel Auto Corporation, an automobile business operating on the Rajkot–Ahmedabad Highway.