Pune News : Pune man lost Rs 1 crore to fraudsters over acquiring Pizza franchise
By: Pune Pulse
July 10, 2023
Pune: A 35-year-old director of an engineering company in Pune was cheated of Rs ₹1 crore by fraudsters under the pretext of opening a pizza franchise ahead of the upcoming world cup and also at the Pune airport.
As per information from the Pimpri Chinchwad police, the incident took place between June 9 and July 6 2023.
The accused have been identified as Deepak Sharma, Nipun Mittal, and Prakash Singh.
As per the complaint of the victim, a resident of Indrayani Nagar in Bhosari, he had entered into an agreement with the accused to open a franchise of a well-known multinational pizza restaurant chain in Pune and Mumbai. The intention was to capitalize on the upcoming Cricket World Cup in India.
On June 21, the victim received a letter of intent, a document listing the terms and conditions of the contract. He was made to transfer Rs 2.65 lakh to a bank account as an initial processing fee. He was subsequently asked to pay around Rs 6 lakh as charges of a no-objection certificate (NOC) and Rs 7.5 lakh for initial payment towards purchasing machinery for the outlet. The complainant made these payments in four installments and was told the outlet will be at the Pune airport.
Rajendra Nikalje, Senior Police Inspector (SPI) at Bhosari MIDC police station, stated, “Blinded by the prospects of the upcoming Cricket World Cup, the victim blindly followed the instructions given by the accused and suffered a significant financial loss.”
Police officials handling the case have discovered similar cyber fraud incidents involving the same pizza and burger restaurant chains that have been reported recently. The fraudsters exploited the brand’s reputation to deceive individuals with false promises of lucrative franchise opportunities. An officer from the Bhosari MIDC police station confirmed that a comprehensive investigation has been launched into the cell phone numbers, email addresses, and bank accounts used by the cyber fraudsters. Efforts are currently underway to apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice.
An FIR has been filed at the MIDC Bhosari police station under IPC sections 419, 420, 34, and sections 66(c), (d) of the Information Technology Act. Further investigations are ongoing.
