Thane, May 11 (PTI) A case has been registered against four persons for allegedly cheating a businessman of Rs 22.4 lakh in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Sunday.

Based on a complaint, the Bhiwandi police on May 7 registered a case against one Manzoor alias Raja Khan, Abul Kalam, Yaar Mohammad, and Hidan Mohammad under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code for the fraud that took place in 2020, an official said.

The official said the complainant, Awaral Mohammad Rafiq Mohammed, had entered into a partnership with Khan in 2020 to deal in used vehicles, and later Kalam joined the venture.

Between June 2022 and February 2023, they purchased damaged vehicles worth more than Rs 47 lakh from Gujarat for resale and repair, and the complainant invested Rs 22.44 lakh in the business, he said.

According to the FIR, the accused allegedly sold the stock to third parties without informing the complainant and siphoned off the proceeds.

The complainant has claimed that he was assaulted and threatened, and the accused also took away his motorcycle, the official said, adding that the matter is under investigation. PTI COR ARU