A 40-year-old man from Dombivli in Maharashtra's Thane district was allegedly cheated by a couple who promised to start a gym and took Rs 37 lakh from him, police said. The victim, a manager at an automobile showroom, filed a complaint with the Naupada police station, leading to the registration of a case under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Mandar Mukund Sabnis and his wife Varsha, news wire PTI reported.

The alleged cheating took place after the victim, who frequented a gym in Dombivli, came in contact with the accused in 2021, the PTI report said. Sabnis informed him about their plan to establish a gym and sought financial assistance. The couple claimed that the gym project, set to be located in Thane and Dombivli, would cost Rs 1.50 crore. From 2021 onwards, the victim handed over a total of Rs 37 lakh to the couple for the proposed gym, which, as per the complaint, was never materialized, the PTI report added.