PUNE: The Market Yard police are investigating a complaint lodged by a 31-year-old businessman in which he said three men duped him of over Rs22 lakh on the promise of helping him bag a contract from the Mumbai municipal corporation.
As per the complaint, the incident occurred between June 16 and 23, when the suspects led the complainant into believing he would be awarded a contract by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the supply of Covid-19 medication.
“The complainant had a readymade garments business, but it floundered during the lockdown. He was exploring options when he saw an online advertisement, purportedly issued by the BMC, inviting bids from private contractors for the supply of Covid-19 medication,” senior inspector Anagha Deshpande said on Tuesday.
Deshpande said the complainant contacted a phone number mentioned in the advertisement. The suspect put the complainant in touch with two others. “They tempted the complainant by promising to help him secure the contract. One of them shared a GST number and other details and told him to pay charges. He even went to Mumbai and met one suspect,” she said.
“When he failed to land the contract and the suspects avoided his phone calls, he realised he was duped,” Deshpande said.
