Cloth merchant duped of over Rs 1 crore by four of family from Gujarat

Four members of a family from Gujarat allegedly cheated a powerloom owner and merchant from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district of Rs 1.06 crore, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred between October 2023 and February this year, they said.

Based on a complaint filed by the 45-year-old victim, the police have registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention), they said.

The accused were identified as Popatlal Khaini, his two sons Shailesh and Manoj along with a woman family member, a police official said. This family purchased a large quantity of grey cloth from the victim, but failed to pay Rs 1,06,30,000 to him despite repeated reminders from his side, senior inspector Mahadeo Kumbhar of Bhiwandi town police station said.