Two men promise land to old age home in Ahmedabad, cheat trustee of ₹85,000
A 35-year-old sofa-maker and trustee of a charitable trust has filed a complaint at the Naranpura police station, alleging that two individuals duped him of ₹85,000 under the pretext of donating land for his old age home.
Maheshbhai Tulshibhai Darji, a resident of Gopikunj Society in Ahmedabad and trustee of the Lakshmidham Old Age Home, stated in his complaint that the accused, identified as Vijaybhai and Surendra, first contacted his mother via phone on July 25. During the call, they inquired whether she was associated with the old age home and expressed their desire to donate land to the trust.
As per the FIR, Maheshbhai later spoke to Vijaybhai, who claimed to be in a position to allocate a plot for the trust’s use. He was later visited by Surendra, who took him on his bike to show a piece of land near Prahladnagar Garden, S G Highway, allegedly offered by Vijaybhai. Believing the offer to be genuine, Maheshbhai informed Vijaybhai that the plot was suitable.
On the pretext of completing legal formalities, Surendra and Vijaybhai allegedly convinced Maheshbhai to arrange ₹1.1 lakh, stating that ₹35,000 would go towards a lawyer’s fee and ₹45,000 towards stamp duty, with the remaining meant for miscellaneous expenses.
On July 29, Maheshbhai, his mother, and a relative accompanied Surendra to the Sardar Bhavan Secretariat in Gandhinagar. There, they were told to wait outside the Revenue Department, while Surendra collected the required documents. Maheshbhai handed over ₹85,000 to Surendra at his request, who then excused himself, saying he was going to the washroom and he never returned.
Subsequent attempts to contact both Surendra and Vijaybhai failed as both mobile phones were switched off. Maheshbhai later realised he had been cheated and approached the police.
The Naranpura police have registered an FIR under BNS sections pertaining to cheating.
Police officials said efforts are underway to trace the accused, who allegedly gained the victim’s trust by exploiting his charitable work and using the promise of land allocation to defraud him.
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