Bengaluru police have registered a complaint after a 65-year-old businessman from Dubai reported that he was defrauded of Rs 2 crore. The businessman, PM Abdul Lahir Hasan, alleged that four individuals had convinced him to invest in a footwear showroom on Brigade Road, promising it would be a profitable venture.
According to the Times of India, the main suspect, Mohammed Hafeez, contacted Hasan in November 2019 and presented the showroom as a good investment opportunity. Hafeez assured Hasan that the showroom's owner, Umrean Nabil, was willing to sell it for Rs 2 crore and that the showroom would generate at least Rs 4 lakh in rent each month. Believing the opportunity to be genuine, Hasan and his wife transferred the funds from their bank accounts to an account belonging to a construction firm owned by one of the suspects, Umar Farooq.
Hasan returned to Dubai after the transaction, but later discovered that the showroom never belonged to Umrean Nabil and that the documents provided were forged. He attempted to contact Hafeez, but was only able to reach Akshay Thomas, Hafeez's business partner, who admitted to creating the fake documents at Hafeez's request.
The police have now registered a cyber crime and cheating case against the suspects based on Hasan's complaint. Police are investigating the case and are trying to track down the suspects.