Cloth merchant duped of Rs 21 lakh; five from Gujarat booked

Thane, Aug 15 (PTI) A cloth merchant from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district was allegedly cheated of Rs 21.43 lakh by five persons from Gujarat, an official said on Thursday.

Based on a complaint filed by the 55-year-old victim, the police have registered a case against the accused, he said.

"The accused had purchased grey cloth from the complainant between April and August 2023, but did not pay the bill amount of Rs 21,43,097. Despite repeated reminders, the accused did not respond to his calls, after which the man lodged the police complaint," the official said.

The accused have been identified as Nareshkumar Gochi, Priyank Shah, Pravin Jain, Arihant Pravin Jain and Payal Pravin Jain, he said.

The accused are booked under sections 420 (cheating), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), the official at the Nizampura police station said. PTI COR MVG NP