Four traders booked for cheating Ahmedabad textile dealers of ₹2.71 crore

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch has registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against four traders who allegedly duped textile merchants of more than ₹2.71 crore in the city’s cloth market by purchasing goods on credit and failing to pay for them.

The complaint was filed by Shikhar Manojkumar Tibarewal (32), a resident of Bopal and a merchant associated with Shri Banwari Fabrics Pvt. Ltd, a wholesale fabric business operating from the New Cloth Market in Raipur.

As per the FIR, the accused Pradeep Meghani,owner of M P Trade; Maqsood Ahmed Abdulhamid Doi, authorised signatory of M P Trade; Sobarati Dewan, owner of Sanam Enterprise; and Neeraj Ghanshyambhai Kandhari, owner of brokerage firm Neeraj Textile Agency allegedly purchased large quantities of shirting cloth from Tibarewal’s firm and several other traders on credit between October 18, 2023, and March 19, 2025,

Police said the accused had assured the complainant and other traders that payments for the goods would be made within 90 days of purchase. Initially, the accused reportedly made timely payments for smaller consignments, thereby gaining the confidence of the suppliers.

Subsequently, the accused allegedly began purchasing fabric in bulk from multiple traders in the market. According to the complaint, cloth worth ₹82.50 lakh was supplied by Shri Banwari Fabrics Pvt Ltd, of which only ₹9.5 lakh was paid in instalments until August 4, 2025. The remaining ₹73 lakh remains unpaid.

The complainant further alleged that Maqsood Doi, on behalf of M P Trade, issued six cheques amounting to ₹65.19 lakh drawn on a Yes Bank account in the Relief Road–Ghee Kanta branch. However, the complainant claimed that the accused later asked them to accept payment through RTGS and allegedly prevented the cheques from being deposited, while the cheques themselves reportedly did not bear dates.

Investigators said the accused are also alleged to have defaulted on payments to several other textile traders in the New Cloth Market. According to the complaint, outstanding amounts claimed by other firms include ₹39.22 lakh owed to Shri Mahavir Fabrics Mfg., ₹15.54 lakh to Arihant Kotfab LLP, ₹21.86 lakh to Vimco Textiles, ₹54.31 lakh to Lakshmi Textiles, ₹19.32 lakh to Anjanilal Textiles, ₹25.54 lakh to Kalpataru Fashion, and ₹22.97 lakh to Shri Ram Textiles.

In total, traders claim that dues amounting to ₹2.71 crore remain unpaid.

The complainant alleged that the accused later closed their shops and went absconding, after allegedly selling the fabric purchased from traders in other markets and failing to clear the payments despite repeated personal meetings and telephonic reminders.

The EOW of Crime Branch has registered a case of cheating and breach of trust.

Financial records, GST invoices, ledger entries and transaction details submitted by the complainant and other traders to determine the extent of the alleged fraud will be examined. Police are also attempting to trace the accused and verify whether similar complaints have been filed against them elsewhere.