Rice mill owner duped of Rs 1 crore in Gondia

Gondia, Sep 26 (PTI) Eight people have been arrested for allegedly duping a rice mill owner of Rs 1 crore on the promise of giving him the foodgrain at a low price in Maharashtra's Gondia district, police said on Friday.

According to the police, Virendrakumar Radheshyam Lilhare (45) lodged a complaint after the accused failed to deliver rice stock to him on September 23, an official said.

Lilhare was introduced to two of the accused, Rameshwar Dhurwe and Hemlata Bais, both residents of Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, who claimed to be rice traders and financiers. They allegedly assured the complainant that he could procure rice at low rates and lured him to invest.

The official said Lilhare agreed to purchase rice worth Rs 1 crore. The accused allegedly collected the money from him and assured him that the stock would be delivered to him the next day.

However, when he did not receive the stock, he realised he had been duped and approached the police, he said.

The local crime branch has arrested eight persons in connection with the case, the official said. PTI COR ARU