At least six businessmen, including a senior entrepreneur from the offshore oil and gas services sector, have alleged that they were collectively cheated of Rs 2.46 crore by a Mulund-based finance firm and its partners, who allegedly collected large “mobilisation fees” with the promise of arranging high-value business loans that never materialised.

Based on the complaint filed, an FIR was registered at the Mulund police station on Thursday. According to the police, the fraudsters lured victims with assurances of quick funding running into hundreds of crores but first demanded advance payments to “unlock” the loan — a classic ‘pay first, loan later’ trap used to siphon money over several years.