Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Apr 9: A complaint stands filed in the city police station here on Friday April 8 by a trader of dry fruits about having been cheated to the extent of Rs 1,52,500 with the help of a fake demand draft.
The complainant is Dr Christopher D'Souza, resident of Rani Chennamma Marg, Ajjarkad in Moodanidamboor village in the city, managing partner of Souza Electronics, and operates a shop dealing in dry fruits named Souza Cashews.
Christopher said that two persons, Narendra Jain and Manish Gandhi, had approached him on March 18 this year, seeking to buy 200 kg cashew and 50 kg almonds. After he quoted the rates, they returned, duly promising to come back to buy dry fruits at a future date. Christopher got a call on April 4 over phone purportedly from Narendra Jain, who discussed the rates of 200 kg cashew and 40 kg almonds. After discussing the rates and pleading for concession, Jain was told that the total price of these items would be Rs 1,52,000. When Jain offered to pay the sum by way of demand draft, Christopher told him to make out the demand draft in the name of Souza Electronics.
Jain called Dr Christopher on April 7, claiming that his vehicle had developed problems. He said he would send another vehicle along with demand draft, duly requesting Christopher to load cashew and almonds in that vehicle. Accordingly, Prakash, driver of a Toyota Tavera vehicle bearing registration No KA05 D4175 presented the demand draft at around 10.30 am and collected the stock of cashew and almonds.
However, when the demand draft was deposited in Syndicate Bank in the city, the concerned came to know that it was fake. On the basis of this complaint, a case stands registered in the city police station under sections 468, 420 and 34 of Indian Penal Code relating to cheating and fraud.
It may be recalled that in a similar incident a few days back, conmen had cheated a dealer of expensive electronics in Mangaluru, after which a complaint was filed in the police station. It is said that similar tactics were used to hoodwink a shop dealing in cameras and another firm dealing in computers in Mysuru.