Policeman duped of Rs 93 lakh promising business partnership with Sharad Pawar

Pune: A cheating case using NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar’s name has been detected. The victim is a constable in the Mumbai Police and has been identified as Vijay Gaikwad (57). He has been duped of Rs 93 lakh.

The accused businessman promised the cop partnership with Sharad Pawar in two companies and cheated. Accused has been identified as Apoorv Jagdish Mehta (48), a resident of Mumbai. A case has been registered against Mehta under sections 406 and 420 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Sahar Police Station.

According to the details, the victim was cheated from 2020 till date. They used to meet often. Thus, they became friends. Mehta told Gaikwad in 2021 that he opened the company as per the advice of Sharad Pawar. He proposed that Gaikwad could become a partner in the business. The accused offered to set up two different companies named after the complainant’s two children.

Then he told the victim that they would require Rs 1 crore to start the business. Trusting the accused, the complainant sold his flat, took a loan from LIC and also withdrew money from the Provident Fund. He handed over Rs 93 lakh to Mehta for his children’s secure future. However, their business did not start and the complainant started worrying.

He asked the accused why their business could not start. Mehta told him that Pawar checked his daughter’s horoscope and advised to perform a puja at the Kali Mandir at Dakshineshwar temple in Kolkata. The complainant performed the puja, along with his family. Later, Mehta called the cop at the Dindoshi court. The accused took signatures of the complainant on some documents on the pretext that the company was being established.

Later, the complainant realised that he was cheated and he approached the police. A case has been registered and the police are investigating the matter.