Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A man has been arrested for allegedly cheating by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 3.18 crore by falsely claiming that he could use his influence with central investigating agencies to secure the release of Rs 11 crore seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from the premises of a company run by the latter.
According to the police, the accused has been identified as Vijay alias Mukhi Patel, a native of Gujarat’s Mehsana district. Police said he allegedly cheated the owner of an angadia firm. Angadia refers to traditional courier and logistics services that are used for transporting high-value items, such as cash, jewellery, documents, and other valuable parcels.
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Police said Vijay allegedly convinced the owner of Vishnu Kanti, an angadia firm, that he had strong connections within the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and could arrange the return of funds seized during an anti-money laundering raid conducted at its office after deducting 40 per cent of the amount as expenses.
Investigators said the accused collected Rs 3.18 crore in instalments as a token payment. In order to gain the businessman’s confidence, he allegedly executed a notarised agreement worth Rs 3.13 crore. However, when the seized money was not returned, the firm’s owner approached the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, leading to the registration of a case and Vijay’s subsequent arrest.
The probe by the police allegedly revealed that the man would claim to have contacts within the ED and the CBI before eventually duping unsuspecting individuals.
Investigators also found that he owns two large houses in different parts of Gujarat and uses a luxury electric vehicle. According to the Crime Branch, Vijay has previously been named in multiple cheating cases.
Police said he was earlier in custody for two months in connection with a fraud case involving Rs 120 crore and is currently out on bail. The investigation further revealed that he lived in London for eight years before moving to the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu in 2021, where he obtained citizenship.
He later returned to India in 2022 and was residing in the country as an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). Police said four suspected aides of Vijay’s are also under investigation, and authorities are examining whether he defrauded anyone else using the same modus operandi.
According to the police, the case involving the Ahmedabad-based angadia firm’s owner dates back to December 2024, when the ED conducted a search at the premises of his firm and seized Rs 11 crore. Following the raid, the 59-year-old businessman was allegedly approached by Vijay, who claimed he could broker a settlement with ED officials.
The complainant was then introduced to a lawyer, who allegedly said that around 40 per cent of the seized amount would have to be paid to resolve the matter.
Between December 2024 and July 2025, the complainant and his associates allegedly paid nearly Rs 3 crore through angadia services and in cash. Police said the payments were purportedly made to individuals in Ahmedabad and Mumbai using “coded currency note tokens” for resolving matters with agencies such as the ED, CBI and ATS.
Investigators also alleged that the accused got the complainant to sign a notarised agreement showing a fictitious investment of Rs 13.2 crore in a jewellery company and obtained two signed blank cheques.
The businessman later received a legal notice demanding repayment of the amount with 9 per cent annual interest. After neither the seized cash nor the money allegedly paid was recovered, he filed a complaint with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch.
Police then registered a case of cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy against five accused, including the lawyer, and two persons from Mumbai. The police have appealed to anyone who may have been similarly cheated to come forward and contact investigators.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
