Entrepreneur duped of Rs 29L in franchise scam

Rajkot: A 19-year-old entrepreneur has lodged a complaint with the Rajkot City Cybercrime police after allegedly being duped of Rs 29 lakh by fraudsters posing as representatives of a popular clothing brand and luring him with a fake franchise offer.

According to the complaint, Hitarth Amipara, a resident of Gitanagar who runs a metal parts manufacturing unit in Metoda GIDC, was looking to expand his business when he searched online for a franchise of SNITCH Apparels Private Limited in April. He subsequently filled out an application form on what appeared to be the company’s official website.

Police said that soon after submitting the application, Amipara was contacted by a person claiming to be the company’s franchise manager. The caller allegedly shared official-looking documents through email and guided him through what appeared to be a legitimate franchise onboarding process.

After the documents were reviewed, the accused informed Amipara that his proposed franchise location had been approved and asked him to make a series of payments towards a token amount, NOC charges, security deposit and administrative fees.

Believing the offer to be genuine, Amipara allegedly transferred Rs 29 lakh through RTGS transactions to multiple bank accounts provided by the accused. To further convince him of the franchise’s authenticity, the fraudsters also sent an appointment letter inviting him to visit the company’s purported head office in Bengaluru.

The fraud came to light when the accused allegedly demanded an additional Rs 21 lakh for store fit-out expenses. Suspecting foul play, Amipara refused to make any further payments and sought a refund of the amount already paid.

According to the complaint, the accused assured him that the money would be refunded within 40 days. However, no refund was made. The complainant later received an anonymous email stating that the franchise offer, documents and previous communications were fraudulent. Following this, the family approached the National Cyber Crime Helpline and subsequently lodged a police complaint.

Police have registered a case against unidentified persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.

Police said efforts are underway to identify the accused through the bank accounts, mobile numbers and email IDs linked to the transactions.