Mumbai: Dongri police filed an FIR last week against alleged cricket bookie Mehul Jain and his relatives on the charge of cheating a Mumbai-based businessman of Rs 8.3 crore under the pretext of selling a metal manufacturing company and securing a govt subsidy.Other accused include Dilip Jain, Kamlesh Jain and Varsha Patwari of Kapro Metals and Alloys. Businessman and Dongri resident Mohammad Farooq Shaikh, who is the complainant, alleged that between Jan and Aug 2023, he was induced into investing in Kapro Metals and Alloys Pvt Ltd, a Thane-based company. According to the FIR, Dilip, Kamlesh, Mehul and their associates claimed that the company had been revived from losses and proposed its sale for Rs 8.3 crore. They allegedly assured the complainant that purchasing the company in the name of women family members would make him eligible for a govt subsidy of Rs 8.5 crore. Shaikh said he paid the entire amount in cash in multiple instalments through an intermediary, Vishwas Thakalkar, following which agreements were signed and the process of transferring the company in the names of his mother-in-law and sister-in-law was initiated. However, despite assurances, the accused allegedly failed to appoint them as directors and later avoided meetings. When Shaikh expressed his unwillingness to proceed with the deal and sought a refund, the accused allegedly refused to return the money, citing a GST notice and subsequently lodged counter complaints against him at other police stations. The FIR states that the accused dishonestly misappropriated the funds for personal gain, failed to honour contractual commitments, and cheated the complainant and his family.
