Amravati businessman promised govt loan, cheated of ₹2.75 crore

Pretending to be bureaucrats, accused took money as processing fees; main accused held in separate case

MUMBAI: A 50-year-old businessman from Amravati was cheated of Rs2.75 crore at the Mantralaya by a group of fraudsters, posing as state government officials.

The group had taken the money from the victim on the pretext of helping him secure a loan worth Rs30 crore, which he believed was being sanctioned by the Maharashtra government. The Marine Drive police are looking for the group, several of whom went missing after collecting the ‘processing fees’ for the loan.

According to the police, the complainant Chandrabhan Dembala a resident of Ambikanagar Road, Amravati, is in the edible oil processing business and runs a factory in Amravati. He was looking for a loan to develop his business when, in July this year, he learnt about Aurangabad-based agent Anand Shastri, who was known to arrange loans from the government, through his friend Govind Somani. The wheels of the fraud were set into motion when Dembala approached Shastri for a loan.

Dembala first requested Somani to meet Shastri for the loan in a meeting that took place on August 18 at the garden within the Mantralaya premises. “During the discussions, Shastri told Dembala over the phone that he could get him a loan of Rs30 crore at 4% (annual) interest. The loan would be processed by ‘senior bureaucrat’ Anirudhha Kulkarni, who was the secretary in the finance department,” said a police officer requesting anonymity.

As the meetings would be held within the Mantralaya, the victim did not suspect any foul play. He handed Shastri a demand draft of Rs1.2 lakh and Rs4 lakh in cash as the fee for the transaction, the police said.

“On September 6, Shastri gave Dembala a letter stating that a Rs30crore loan had been sanctioned. This letter was printed on the government’s official letterhead. He also told Dembala that as per procedure, he would have to deposit 10% of the loan amount in the account of the finance department as a mandatory deposit,” the police officer said.

Dembala borrowed money from close friends and relatives and on instructions of the accused gave Rs2.7crore to an associate. He was told the loan would be handed over to him, but soon after, the accused began ignoring Dembala.

It was only later that Dembala learnt that Anirudhha Kulkarni, the bureaucrat he spoke to on the phone, had been held in another cheating case by the Shillod police.

On October 10, he filed a case with the Marine Drive police. A team from the Marine Drive police is in the process of bringing him to the city, said investigating officer of the case inspector Vijay Drekar.