A 42-year-old businessman from Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, has allegedly fallen victim to a scam, losing Rs 2 crore to an individual who impersonated a government official, according to police reports on Tuesday.
The victim, who resides in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, had experienced business setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In January 2021, the victim came into contact with the accused, a resident of Parel, Mumbai, who claimed to be a high-ranking official in the central government’s health ministry, as stated by an official from the Nerul police station.
The imposter assured the victim that he could secure a loan asserting that he had connections with the bank CEO.
He suggested mortgaging a property as collateral for the loan. The victim informed the accused that he did not possess a property to mortgage. In response, the imposter mentioned another individual who was also seeking loan suggesting that this person could mortgage their property, and the loan amount could be split equally between the two.
Enticed by the offer, the victim handed over Rs 2 crore, which he had received from a Telangana contractor for the Pune Metro project, to the imposter. However, when the victim requested to meet the other person seeking the loan and the bank official, the imposter evaded him and eventually became unreachable.
The Nerul police station registered a case against the imposter on Sunday, based on the victim’s complaint, under Indian Penal Code sections for cheating and forgery. An investigation into the case is currently underway.
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