Thane: Man cheated of Rs 3 lakh in foreign currency exchange fraud; 3 booked

Police in Maharashtrarsquos Thane has registered a case against three persons for allegedly cheating a man of Rs 3 lakh by offering him foreign currency in exchange at a cheap rate police said on SundayNews agency PTI reported that the accused approached the 34yearold victim a resident of Dombivli town and offered him Dirhams at a cheap exchange rateThe victim then gave Rs 3 lakh to the accused on Friday The accused subsequently gave Dirhams in exchange but the victim later found many blank paper pieces in the foreign currency note bundle an official from Vishnu Nagar police station saidThe victim filed a complaint on Saturday based on which an FIR was registered against the three persons under Indian Penal Code sections 420 cheating and 34 common intention A probe was on into the case the police addedMeanwhile Police in Maharashtrarsquos Thane district has arrested a shopkeeper for allegedly stocking banned gutka worth Rs 544 lakh in his outletNews agency PTI reported quoting an official from Narpoli police station that acting on a tipoff a team of the Food and Drug Administration FDA raided the shop located at Purna village in Bhiwandi area on Saturday and seized the stockAlso read Maharashtra Thane shopkeeper held for stocking banned gutka worth Rs 544 lakhIts important to note that the sale and consumption of gutka scented and flavored tobacco have been prohibited in Maharashtra since 2012The 28yearold shopkeeper was arrested and booked under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the FDA regulations the official quoted in the PTI report saidFDA food safety officer Rajendra Kardak who led the raid said the sale of gutka has been rampant at outlets in the district We have been instructed to unearth all such sources and take action against them he addedOn October 22 Gutka and banned tobacco products worth Rs 996 lakh were smuggled in consignments marked as clothes in ThaneThe matter came to light when an alert godown owner in Bhiwandi received a suspicious consignment from a transporter and he alerted the local police assistant police inspector Somnath KarnavarPatil of the Narpoli police station said reported PTIOn inspection the police recovered banned gutka and tobacco products worth Rs 996 lakh from boxes marked as clothes The goods had arrived between October 29 and November 1 he said reported PTIThe alleged accused packed the banned goods in cartons marked as clothes and showed the consignment as clothing in the tax invoice as well the official said adding that the consignment arrived from Surat in neighbouring Gujarat reported PTIAn offence has been registered under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code Food Security and Standards Act FDA regulations Food Safety amp Standards Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales Regulations and Food Safety amp Standards Food Product Standards and Food Additives Regulations Act he said reported PTI With inputs from PTI