Aurangabad: Toys trader duped of over Rs 45 lakhs

AURANGABAD: Three individuals have been booked for allegedly duping a gifts and toy store owner to the tune of over Rs 45 lakh, in a scam that ran for three years.
The case has been registered with the Kranti Chowk police station.
The list of suspects includes a close relative of the victim. Police officials said the relative played a key role in the preparation of forged documents that were subsequently used to cheat the store owner.
Forty-year-old Sachin Chitlangi said in his complaint that he had employed the relative to help him run the business, located in the Gulmandi area of the city. The suspect employee was given the responsibility of placing orders with a wholesaler supplier. The employee would then count the number of products received and confirm the quantity by issuing a receipt to the wholesaler.
The business would then pay the wholesaler a sum that was based on these receipts. In 2016, Chitlangi handed over complete control of the business to this relative.
Sensing an opportunity, the suspect is believed to have entered into a conspiracy with the wholesaler and his staff to generate fake bills. The complaint states that the employee forged receipts to show the shop had received certain items, when it hadn't. Chitlangi released payments without even cross-checking the stock in the shop.
The scam only came to light when Chitlangi found that the businesses was incurring serious losses. He then crosschecked the bills and found discrepancies in payments issued to the wholesaler and amount of stock in the shop.
The investigation officer in the case, Gajanan Sontakke, said, “Based on his complaint, we have booked the trio on charges of cheating and forgery. The suspects are yet to be arrested.”