Mumbai Jeweller family cheats Gujarat car dealer of Rs 1.3 cr in Mercedes sale

Mumbai Police have filed charges against four members of a family running a jewellery business for allegedly swindling an Ahmedabad-based businessman out of Rs 1.3 crore. The N M Joshi Marg police are currently looking into the case.

The accused include Rishabh Pahuja, Prakash Pahuja, and Chirag Pahuja, who are directors of Tikamdas Jewellers Private Limited, along with Dipika Pahuja. They are accused of defrauding Dhruvesh Patel, a 53-year-old businessman from Ahmedabad who operates a second-hand car sales business.

Patel met the Pahuja family through a mutual acquaintance last year. The Pahujas sold their Mercedes to Patel for Rs 1.3 crore, claiming they were offering the car at a discounted rate because they needed funds to launch a business project in Canada.

The car was registered under the name of their jewellery company and had been financed through a loan from Mercedes Benz Finance Services India Pvt Ltd. The Pahujas assured Patel that once he made the payment, they would settle the outstanding loan with the finance company, clear the debt, and provide him with a No Objection Certificate (NOC), according to the FIR.

Although Patel received the car last year, he never received the NOC or the vehicle's documents.

“I have been making trips to Mumbai and following up with Pahujas to get the NOC and documents, but in vain. I was shocked when, in June this year, the finance company seized the car and took it away as part of the recovery of their loan. When I contacted Pahujas, they didn’t respond and told me that they would clear everything once they return from abroad,” said Patel.

Patel claimed that the accused used his money for their benefit.

After discovering that there were already fraud complaints against the Pahujas in Mumbai, he decided to go to the NM Joshi Marg police and file a complaint.

The police have charged the Pahujas with cheating under sections 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. An officer stated that the investigation is ongoing.