Jammu & Kashmir Crime Branch has booked seven individuals, including key names like Shounak Maria, Geetika, Varun, Yogesh Awasti, Rishab Jain, Sarika Jain, and Mohammad Taj Khan for defrauding people of Rs2.46 crore through fake business and property deals.
The suspects were associated with four private companies operating from Chandigarh, Bathinda, and Uttar Pradesh. Four FIRs have been registered following complaints from victims across Jammu.
One of the major complaints was filed by Vinod Kumar Dubey, who claimed he was duped of Rs1.71 crore by Shounak Maria and associates from Xpert Cold Chain Solutions and Arihantam Technologies. They allegedly misled him under the pretext of establishing a banana ripening plant in Narwal, Jammu.
Another FIR was lodged against Yogesh Awasti from Gautam Buddha Nagar, accused of cheating Gurbachan Singh out of Rs25 lakh with a false promise of providing flats in Delhi.
Bathinda-based directors Rishab Jain and Sarika Jain of Jain Allied Health and Hygiene Products Limited were also booked. They allegedly cheated Domesh Gupta of Rs19.25 lakh in a fake hygiene products business partnership.
Lastly, Mohammad Taj Khan of Trikuta Nagar was booked after complaints from Yusuf Pathan and Ashraf Ali Sheikh, alleging a Rs30.66 lakh fraud involving land allotment in Jammu.
Senior officials confirmed the registration of all four cases by the Economic Offences Wing. Investigations are ongoing.
