Delhi: ‘Freedom 251’ smartphone man held in dry fruits scam

Luv Kumar, Addl Commissioner of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar, said: “We received complaints in Noida that a company called Dubai Dry Fruits was carrying out financial fraud under the guise of trade. The accused were purchasing dry fruits and other food items from vendors at a high price and selling them at an even higher price. They would give some amount as advance and pocket the rest. We traced their company to Noida and arrested the two accused. One accused is the same person who was arrested for offering cheap mobile phones earlier.”

According to police, the accused had set up the company in a plush office space in Sector 62 to make it seem legitimate. They also hired three foreigners to further fool customers into believing their operations are authentic. The accused essentially would issue bounced cheques to traders and file false cases against them if they demanded payment, police said. The accused used the company as a front for their scam and appointed dummy directors at senior positions.

During investigation, police found multiple complaints against Goel in Haryana, Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, UP and Karnataka. Police recovered 60 kg of dry fruits and an Audi from the possession of the accused. He had invested Rs 10 crore in the company, police said.

Goel, who hails from Rajasthan, has 21 cases including those of fraud and criminal intimidation against him.