A case of cheating amounting to nearly ₹39 lakh has come to light in Jogeshwari, where a businessman was allegedly duped by his own friend on the pretext of investing in a vehicle purchase and resale business. The Jogeshwari Police have registered an FIR against the accused, identified as Vijay Sahebrao Navle, a bank agent. However, Navle has been absconding since before the case was registered, and a search has been launched to trace him. Police officials said that during the investigation, it has also emerged that the accused may have similarly cheated several other individuals.
According to the police, the complainant, Satyavan Shinde, is a resident of Jogeshwari and runs a speed post agency service, which requires the use of bikes and other vehicles. As part of his business operations, he used to purchase vehicles and sell them after three years. Around five years ago, Shinde came in contact with Navle through vehicle transactions. During this period, Navle introduced himself as a bank agent and gradually gained Shinde’s trust by supplying vehicles to his agency.
Navle later advised Shinde to invest in a business involving the purchase of vehicles through bank auctions and their subsequent resale. Claiming to have significant experience in this field, he convinced Shinde that the venture would yield substantial profits with his expertise and Shinde’s financial investment. Trusting him, Shinde agreed to enter into the business.
As per their agreement, Shinde paid Navle a total of ₹39,59,142 in installments between March and December 2021 for purchasing vehicles from bank auctions. Navle did buy a few vehicles and shared their details with Shinde. Some of these vehicles were even parked outside Shinde’s office. However, despite selling the vehicles, Navle allegedly did not share any returns or profits with him.
When questioned, Navle reportedly kept giving evasive replies. It was also found that he would take away the vehicles parked outside the office without informing Shinde. During this period, Shinde learned that Navle had entered into similar arrangements with other individuals, collecting money from them but neither providing vehicles nor sharing any profits, instead keeping the gains for himself.
Growing suspicious, Shinde visited Navle’s residence, only to discover that he had been living there on rent and had vacated the premises a few days earlier. Since then, Navle has been untraceable.
Upon realizing that he had been cheated, Shinde approached the Jogeshwari Police and lodged a complaint. After verifying the allegations, the police registered a case of cheating against Navle and have initiated further investigation.