A private company in Goregaon has reportedly suffered a financial loss of Rs 4.44 crores in a fraud case involving false payment assurances. A case has been registered by the Vanrai Police against three individuals, including an officer from the company, for creating fake contractual documents and embezzling funds. The accused have been identified as Dev Sharma, Vikram Jain, and Manish, and the police will soon begin questioning them to record statements.
Prashant Hari Shettikar, a resident of Mira Road, has been living in the Hariyas Dream Park area with his family for the past 25 years. He is currently employed as a senior officer at Box & Freight Logistic Solutions Pvt Ltd, based in Goregaon. The company provides transport and logistics services across India and has branches in several key cities.
In November 2022, the company's zonal head and full-truck load manager, Dev Sharma, went to Delhi on business. There, he met Manish, who was working as a manager for a reputed Delhi-based company that provided truck services. Following this, Box & Freight Logistics began collaborating with Manish’s company. Around the same time, Manish introduced Sharma to Vikram Jain, who owned a mineral company and required transportation services to deliver his goods across India.
A meeting was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where Vikram Jain, Manish, and Dev Sharma discussed a transport service deal in detail. After agreeing on the terms and conditions, a contract was signed with Vikram Jain's company, assigning Box & Freight Logistics the responsibility of delivering goods across the country. Payment was agreed to be made within 30 days of each delivery.
Between January and March 2023, Box & Freight Logistics made several deliveries to locations including Vijayawada, Morbi in Gujarat, and Silvassa, following orders placed by Vikram Jain's company. However, payment amounting to Rs 4.44 crores was still due from these deliveries. After multiple follow-ups for payment, the company halted further dealings with Vikram Jain’s company. Later, to resolve the matter, Vikram Jain issued six post-dated cheques, all of which eventually bounced, leaving the amount unpaid.
Suspicious of foul play, the company conducted inquiries at the delivery locations. It was revealed that there had been no direct business transactions with Vikram Jain's company at those locations. Allegedly, Dev Sharma, along with Vikram Jain and Manish, had conspired to execute a fake contract, causing the company a loss of Rs 4.44 crores.
Upon uncovering the fraud, Prashant Shettikar filed a complaint at the Vanrai Police Station. Following an investigation, police registered a case against the three accused for forging documents and defrauding the company. The investigation is ongoing, according to police sources.