Udaipur : The Pratapnagar police in Udaipur, Rajasthan, have arrested six people for allegedly defrauding a Chennai-based company of ₹94 lakh. The main accused, Vikas Bhatt, who worked for the Chennai company, allegedly took laptops from the company and sold them to another company without depositing the money. He allegedly planned the fraud while he was still employed with the Chennai company.
Police presented the accused in court, where the main accused was remanded in police custody for two days.
Station House Officer Himanshu Singh said that the main accused, Vikas Bhatt, a resident of Shantinagar Colony in Jalore, who is currently living in Chennai, was arrested along with his maternal cousin, Dushyant Bhatt, a nursing student.
During questioning, it emerged that Bhatt had conspired with Devendra Kumar Rawal, a resident of Sherda in Jalore who is now living in Sirohi, Narendra Singh Devda, a resident of Anegor in Sirohi, and Suresh Kumar Prajapat, a resident of Bharudi in Jalore.
The accused allegedly lured Gajaram Devasi, a poorly educated resident of Rebariyan Ka Vas in Sirohi, and opened a fake firm named Bharat Traders in his name. The accused rented a shop, registered for GST, and opened a bank account in the name of the fake firm.
The accused then allegedly sold the laptops to a Mumbai-based firm, Nexgen Technology & Laptop Store, for ₹96.47 lakh in the name of the fake firm.
The accused also allegedly sought the help of his brother-in-law, Tribhuvan Joshi, a resident of Sanchore who is now living in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The police have arrested all six accused, while Tribhuvan Joshi is still absconding.
The Chennai-based complainant, Vikas Sethia, had filed a complaint on June 25. He alleged that he is a wholesaler of computer peripherals under the name of Gains India Peripherals. He said that he had contacted Gajaram Devasi, the proprietor of Bharat Traders, located at Parakhat Chowraha, Kanpur Road, Kaldwas in Udaipur.
Sethia alleged that he had purchased laptops from Devasi for his business. He said that Devasi had initially paid for two bills on time. However, on May 16, Sethia placed an order for 196 laptops, which were delivered on May 25. The bill for the laptops was ₹94.35 lakh.
Sethia alleged that the courier company had colluded with Devasi to deliver the laptops without receiving payment. When Sethia did not receive payment, he inquired about the matter. He then learned that there was no business at the address of Bharat Traders.
Sethia alleged that Devasi had registered the firm to commit fraud. He said that Devasi had defrauded his company of ₹94.35 lakh by selling 196 laptops.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.