Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal

Bantwal, Jun 10: An arecanut trader has reportedly cheated farmers to the tune of several crores of rupees and gone absconding, prompting the victims to approach Bantwal town police station seeking justice.

On Monday, more than 50 farmers gathered in front of the town police station and filed complaints against Naufal N, a resident of Maindala in Navoor village, who owns A B Supari shop in Baddakatte, Bantwal.

The fraud came to light when a local woman farmer approached the trader to collect her dues in order to repay a bank loan, only to find him missing. Following this, several other farmers came forward and lodged complaints.

The accused is said to have earned the trust of local farmers over the past two to three decades by trading in dried arecanut and settling payments promptly. Farmers regularly supplied arecanut to him and received payments after a short period.

However, this time, several farmers have alleged that they have been cheated of lakhs of rupees each, with the total amount possibly exceeding Rs 10 crore.