2 booked for duping investors of Rs 2.15 crore through share market schemes in Thane district

Thane, Jul 18 (PTI) A 33-year-old man and several others were allegedly cheated of more than Rs 2.15 crore by two operators of a consultancy who lured them to invest in fake share market schemes promising lucrative returns in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Saturday. Based on a complaint, the Kalyan police on Thursday registered a first information report (FIR) against Rohit Surwade and Pratik Gaikwad, who operated the firm, under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act, an official said. The alleged fraud took place between March 2022 and June 2025. The official said that the accused allegedly operated the firm, The Stocktone Consultancy, and induced people to invest in schemes by promising attractive returns. The complainant, a tea vendor from Khadakpada, and a few others collectively invested Rs 2.15 crore with the firm, and when they later sought the return of their investments along with the promised profits, the accused allegedly failed to repay the money, he said. The official said the investigation is underway and no arrests have been made so far. Police suspect the scale of the alleged fraud could be much larger, with the amount involved likely to rise to several crores and the number of victims possibly running into hundreds, the official added. PTI COR ARU