Trio cheated of ₹45L in crypto scam, threatened

Rajkot: A 30-year-old businessman filed a complaint with Junagadh City B Division police on Tuesday alleging that he and his two friends were cheated of Rs 45.55 lakh in the name of cryptocurrency investment.

According to police, Vanraj alias Pintu Khakhdiya stated that his relative, Gautam Suresh, a native of a village in Visavadar, convinced him to invest in USDT cryptocurrency, promising high returns. Trusting him, Khakhdiya and his associates, Keval Parmar and Jitendra Divraniya, allegedly handed over Rs 45.55 lakh through a traditional courier service.

Police said Gautam became unreachable after receiving the money and switched off his mobile phone. When the complainants managed to contact him a few days later, he allegedly expressed inability to repay the amount immediately and instead offered his car, worth around Rs 22.50 lakh, as partial settlement. A vehicle transfer document was also reportedly prepared.

However, when the trio reached Visavadar to complete the process, Gautam and his uncle, Jayraj Devku, allegedly detained them at a shop near the Visavadar court. The complaint states that Jayraj threatened them with a firearm and warned them against demanding the money.

The victims further alleged that they were forced to cancel the vehicle transfer papers and sign blank stamp papers under duress. The accused also allegedly threatened to implicate them in false usury cases if they approached the police.

A case has been registered under Sections 318(3), 308(5), 351(2) and 127(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, among other charges.