Pune News : Sinhagad Road contractor cheated of Rs 26 lakh for solar panel tender

A contractor from Sinhagad Road was duped of Rs 26.55 lakh in an attempt to secure a solar panel installation tender from a Saudi Arabian public company.

The victim was notified via email that a Saudi Arabian public company was holding a tender for solar panel installation. A lot of profit was promised in the email.

The event happened in August 2023.

The contractor takes commercial water & building contracts in Pune and Mumbai, according to a police officer of Sinhagad Road Police Station. The victim believed that the contract email was sent by a government-appointed agency in Saudi Arabia. But the email was disguised and deceptive. Unaware of this, the contractor responded to the email expressing interest in the project.

Following the victim’s submission of all the requested information, the accused in the case guaranteed that they would process the contractor’s tender. The Sinhagad Road police officer stated that the accused demanded numerous payments from the victim during this process, including advance payments, legal fees, stamp duty, release order fees, acceptance letter fees, registration fees, tender processing fees etc.

The victim proceeded to transfer the entire amount of Rs 26.55 lakh into six different bank accounts, the officer continued, without first confirming the details of the accused. The accused sent the contractor fake and false paperwork.

The officer went on to say that the contractor went on to verify the tender with Saudi Arabian authorities after receiving the documents. However, the authorities told the victim that they had never issued a tender like this. So, when the contractor realized that he had been duped, he filed a complaint with the police.