Ahmedabad woman accuses cousin, two others of duping her of ₹1.75 cr

Ahmedabad Police have registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against three men, including a relative of the complainant, after a city-based professional alleged that she was duped of over ₹1.75 crore in the guise of a business investment.

As per an FIR lodged on October 2 at Navrangpura police station, the complainant, Nehal Thakkar (48), an associate director with a Prahladnagar-based firm, said her cousin Chetan Jayantibhai Kariya approached her in May 2023 seeking funds for his company, Aastha Creations. Kariya allegedly told her that his business partners, Prit Pradip Kariya and Sagar Chetan Kariya, also required urgent investment to resolve financial difficulties.

Trusting her cousin’s assurance that the money would be repaid once the business stabilised, Nehal transferred ₹1.37 crore through bank transactions from her ICICI and Kotak Mahindra accounts to Aastha Creations’ Axis Bank account between May and October 2023. In addition, she claimed to have given ₹37.5 lakh in cash, bringing the total investment to ₹1.75 crore.

In her statement, Nehal said her husband, a chartered accountant working in Mumbai, had agreed to extend the financial help since the request had come from her cousin’s family. "Both trusted them as relatives and believed the amount would be returned once their business picked up,” Navrangpura police said.

However, when she later requested repayment in order to purchase a house, the accused allegedly kept giving excuses. “Despite several reminders, neither her cousin nor his partners have returned the money. Instead, they kept misleading the couple,” police added.

Nehal further told police that the prolonged delay and evasive answers forced her to approach the Navrangpura police, where she initially filed a local application. On Thursday, a formal FIR was registered against Chetan Kariya and his partners under Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police officials said statements of Nehal’s husband and brother, named as witnesses in the complaint, will be recorded. “We are verifying the financial transactions, including bank transfers and the alleged cash payments. The accused will be called in for questioning,” said a Navrangpura police officer.

Investigators added that they are examining whether more people may have been lured into similar transactions with Aastha Creations.