Mumbai: Ugandan Trader Defrauded of USD 355,000 by Father-Son Duo Supplying Expired Sugar

A Ugandan trader has been defrauded of USD 355,000 by a father-son duo who supplied expired sugar. The Azad Maidan Police have registered a case against the owners of Al Noor Impex, Mohmand Iqbal Abdul Ghaffar Batatawala and Ahmed Mohammad Iqbal Noor Batatawala, and are conducting further investigations.

According to information from the Azad Maidan Police, businessman Pankaj Goyal (44), originally from Punjab, is currently residing in Kampala City, Uganda. In his complaint to the police, Goyal stated that on September 1, 2022, he placed an order for 810 tons of sugar with the Batatawalas. He transferred USD 350,000 to them. In the first shipment, the Batatawalas supplied 349 tons of sugar worth USD 176,000.

However, when the sugar arrived in Uganda in February last year, local food officials seized it, citing that the sugar had expired. In March 2023, Goyal traveled to Mumbai to demand a refund from the Batatawalas. The father-son duo assured him that they would send a new shipment of good quality sugar, showing the previously paid bills as proof. However, they neither supplied the sugar nor refunded the money. Realizing he had been defrauded, Goyal finally approached the Azad Maidan Police and lodged a complaint.