Conman dupes trader with Smart City project “offer”

Dharamshala

: The man who was booked for claiming to be agent of a cabinet minister and duping a business man from Panchkula (Haryana), had promised the victim Rs 14.50 crore project out of Rs 900 crore budget under Smart City Project of the state, for which the accused had demanded Rs 25 lakh. A copy of the FIR registered last Saturday at a local police station here in this case has been accessed by TOI. The minister has denied knowing the accused in this case.

BJP leader Sanjay Sharma had held a press conference claiming that the contract under Smart City Project was promised to the businessman. He was receiving threats through messages and calls now. “The minister has said that he doesn’t know Kamal Attri (the accused) but he said he knows of Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma and has said that he was ready to go jail,” he said.

Ashish Walia who allegedly owns a glass trading company, in his complaint has alleged that he first met Kamal Attri (the accused in FIR) in 2015 through his friend who was a bouncer in Kharar area of Punjab. Later they both met in the beginning of 2016 when Attri has assured Walia that he knows many ministers of

Himachal

government.

“Attri said the Smart City Project is going to start in Himachal and he would provide Rs 14.50 crore contract to his firm under this. I received a call and was asked about the turnover of my firm which is around Rs 6 crore. He asked me to prepare a profile of my firm and handover to him by hand,” said Walia in his complaint adding that he had sent the profile on mail Id (kamal1284@gmail.com).

The businessman was then told to visit Dharamshala (the town under Smart City Project). According to the complaint he was shown various sites here. “I was asked for Rs 25 lakh but I handed over Rs 10 lakh near the cricket stadium where I was shown a site,” said Walia in his complaint. He said that Attri said Rs 900 crore is the budget for the project and the contract would be part of it. “A letter signed by a minister was also shown to me to assure me about the contract. But later I found that the document was fake,” Walia mentioned in complaint.

The minister has however denied any connections to the case and has said that he asked the businessman to register a police complaint after he came to know about this matter. Police has registered an FIR under sections 420,467,468 and 471 of IPC. Sanjay Sharma, a BJP leader and spokesperson of HPCA (

Himachal Pradesh

Cricket Association) said: “I am receiving threat calls and messages since I held a press conference to expose this case. Attri (accused) in his communication has said that he has used the name of cabinet minister Sudhir Sharma so the minister has registered an FIR against him,” said Sanjay adding that he would consult his lawyers and file a police complaint about this.