Srinagar, July 30: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of the Crime Branch Jammu and Kashmir has filed a chargesheet against four accused persons in connection with an alleged ₹15 lakh cheating case involving a fake cooking oil company, officials said on Friday.
According to the Crime Branch, the chargesheet in FIR No. 77/2022 has been filed before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar under Sections 420 (Cheating) and 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after completion of a detailed investigation.
The accused have been identified as Mohd Amin Bhat, son of Mohd Afzal Bhat, a resident of Khanyar, Srinagar; Khalid Hussain Khan, son of Ghulam Hassan Khan, a resident of Gasiyar Hawal, Srinagar; Anil Kumar Maheshwari, son of Ganpat Lal, a resident of Jhotwara, Jaipur, Rajasthan; and Shashank Kumar, son of Surinder Singh, a resident of Modipuram, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
As per the investigation, the case originated from a complaint alleging that the accused induced the complainant to deposit ₹15 lakh as security for the supply of cooking oil. They allegedly represented themselves as officials of M/s Assured Agro Food Industries and assured the complainant that the company manufactured edible oil and would supply the stock within a week.
However, despite receiving the security amount, the accused allegedly failed to deliver the promised consignment, prompting the complainant to approach the Crime Branch.
During the course of investigation, the EOW Kashmir found that the accused had allegedly acted in criminal conspiracy to deceive the complainant under the pretext of supplying mustard oil. Verification carried out with the Registrar of Companies, Rajasthan, revealed that no company by the name M/s Assured Agro Food Industries was registered, exposing the firm’s alleged fraudulent existence.
Investigators also established the alleged involvement of Shashank Kumar, who was projected as the owner of the non-existent company and played a key role in the conspiracy, officials said.
Following completion of the investigation, the Crime Branch submitted the chargesheet before the competent court for judicial proceedings against all four accused.
Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing has urged the public to exercise caution while entering into financial or business transactions with unknown entities and to verify the credentials of companies before making payments. Citizens have also been advised to immediately report any suspected economic fraud or financial scam to the SSP, EOW Kashmir or lodge complaints through the official email for appropriate legal action.
