Con man poses as govt officer, cheats three of ₹7L Identified Himself As Chairman Of Dept Of Science, R&D

Con man poses as govt officer, cheats three of ₹7L Identified Himself As Chairman Of Dept Of Science, R&D 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 24.11.2024

Ahmedabad : The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) launched a search for Mehul Shah, a resident of Wankaner, who allegedly posed as a senior govt official and cheated three individuals out of Rs 7 lakh. Shah’s victims include a car rental company owner, a bouncer, and a painter, all lured by promises of lucrative deals or govt jobs. Pratik Shah, a car rental company owner, filed the complaint after being defrauded by Mehul Shah. The scam began on Sep 6, when Shah contacted Pratik, claiming to be a senior govt officer. He hired an SUV for Rs 3,500 per day, stating it was needed for daily office use. Shah subsequently insisted on modifications to the vehicle, including a siren, red light, white curtains, and a “Government of India” plate, presenting forged documents supposedly signed by a senior govt official. Pratik complied, even getting approvals from the RTO and police.

 Mehul also told him that he was a trustee at a university in the Asarwa area. He went on to hire two buses, purportedly to transport students on a picnic to Mount Abu, and rented additional vehicles for his relatives. In October, Mehul claimed that he got a promotion in the revenue department and requested a higher-end SUV. He agreed to Pratik’s quotation of Rs 7,000 per day, despite owing him substantial unpaid dues. To secure the arrangement, Mehul issued a work order forged with a signature as the chairman of the Department of Science and Research Development. The agreement was for three years. When Pratik demanded Rs 90,000 in unpaid bills, Shah provided a blank cheque, which bounced  due to insufficient funds. Shah then ceased all communication, and Pratik realised that he was defrauded. Pratik was cheated of Rs 1.6 lakh in total. 

Bouncer paid ₹3L to secure son’s job Pratik’s driver, Alpesh Padhiyar, revealed that Shah had requested a bouncer for security services. Alpesh referred his acquaintance, Vinod Bhambhi, whom Mehul lured with a govt clerk job for his son Vatsal at a fictitious ‘Asarwa University.’ He demanded Rs 3 lakh for the job from Bhambhi, who paid him to secure the job for his son. Shah handed Bhambhi a forged appointment letter on the letterhead of the District Education Officer (DEO), Ahmedabad City. However, when Bhambhi approached DEO RM Chaudhary for verification, the letter was confirmed to be fake. The complaint states that Mehul Shah did not even spare a man hired for painting work at the university, claiming he had purchased the institution. Shah duped Sipai of Rs 2.4 lakh by not paying for the painting work. TNN