Police have registered a case of alleged fraud involving ₹65 lakh after a businessman accused two Maharashtra-based traders of luring him into a tur dal trading investment with promises of high returns. The complainant alleged that the accused showed photographs of purported stock, collected money for the business deal and then neither supplied the goods nor returned the funds.
Business Link Led to Investment
According to police, the complaint was filed by Girish Ramnani, a resident of Ranibagh in Indore. He alleged that he was cheated by Gurushantling Kumbhar and Somnath Halgode, who were associated with a firm named Shri Vijayalakshmi Traders.
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Police said Ramnani had known the accused for several years and had previously conducted business transactions with them in connection with trade activities in Chhattisgarh and Nagpur. Because of this existing relationship, he trusted their proposal.
According to the complaint, in February 2026, Gurushantling Kumbhar allegedly sent Somnath Halgode to Ramnani’s residence in Ranibagh. During the meeting, Halgode reportedly showed photographs on his mobile phone claiming they depicted a large stock of tur dal and offered an investment opportunity with attractive returns.
Funds Raised Through Bank Loans
Believing the representations made by the accused, Ramnani allegedly arranged funds by taking loans from HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank. He then invested a total of ₹65 lakh in the proposed trading venture.
The complaint states that ₹25 lakh was transferred on April 28, 2026, another ₹25 lakh on April 29, 2026, and ₹15 lakh on May 2, 2026. The money was allegedly sent to a Bank of India account operated by Shri Vijayalakshmi Traders.
Ramnani further claimed that he entered into additional commitments with other traders based on the expected profits from the proposed tur dal transactions.
No Goods Supplied, FIR Registered
According to the complaint, the accused neither supplied the promised tur dal stock nor returned the invested money within the agreed period. Ramnani alleged that repeated attempts to contact the accused and recover the funds did not yield results.
He claimed that the accused continued to delay the matter without providing either the goods or a refund, following which he approached the police with a detailed complaint.
An FIR was registered on Tuesday. Investigators are examining financial transactions, banking records, communications between the parties and the business representations allegedly made by the accused. Police are also verifying the existence of the claimed stock and checking whether similar complaints have been made elsewhere.
