Ahmedabad cloth trader alleges ₹17 lakh cheating by garment firms, EOW files case

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch has registered an FIR following a complaint by a wholesale cloth trader who has alleged that three garment traders cheated him of nearly ₹17 lakh by purchasing kurti fabric for women on credit and failing to clear dues.

As per the First Information Report, the accused have been identified as Damayantidevi Lalwani, proprietor of Orchid Creation; Manishkumar Bardia, proprietor of Yam Garment, and Rushabh Pravinbhai Jain, the authorised person representing both firms. The complainant, Rajeshkumar Bhansali (49), runs a wholesale business of dress materials for women under the name of Rajeshkumar Bhansali HUF at Sarangpur.

Bhansali told police that between May 22 and June 24, 2025, the accused purchased kurti cloth for women worth ₹23.28 lakh from his firm on credit, assuring him that the payments would be cleared within 25 to 30 days of delivery. Trusting their assurances and market reputation, he supplied the goods in multiple consignments.

Orchid Creation purchased kurti fabric worth ₹10.53 lakh between May 22 and June 10, 2025, of which ₹6.33 lakh was paid in instalments till July 25, leaving an outstanding amount of ₹4.20 lakh. Yam Garment, meanwhile, purchased goods worth ₹12.74 lakh between June 13 and June 24, 2025, but did not pay any amount, the FIR states.

The total outstanding dues from both firms stand at ₹16.94 lakh, police said.

The complainant has alleged that despite repeated personal visits and phone calls, the accused kept delaying payment on one pretext or another, assuring him that the amount would be cleared “within a week”. He has further alleged that the purchased cloth was sold off through other vendors at heavily discounted prices, and the proceeds were allegedly used for personal purposes.

“They intentionally made false promises, kept wasting time and dishonestly failed to pay the remaining amount, thereby betraying our trust,” Bhansali stated in his complaint. He has submitted copies of bills, delivery challans and other business documents to support his claims.

Based on the complaint, the EOW has registered a case for cheating and criminal breach of trust. Officials said further probe is under way to verify transactions, financial records and the role of each accused.