The CID (crime) of Gandhinagar zone has filed a complaint against four members of a Mehsana family for allegedly cheating two women out of Rs 23 lakh. The family allegedly extracted the money from the women by promising to invest it in a scheme of the India Post.
Manisha Modi, a resident of Visnagar in Mehsana, filed an FIR with CID (crime) stating that she met the accused, Jagdish Bhatt, his wife Parul Bhatt, and their sons, Harihar Bhatt and Divyesh Bhatt, in 2019. The Bhatt family allegedly provided postal services from their house, which led Manisha to visit them frequently.
In 2019, Jagdish promised Manisha 20% annual returns if she invested in certain schemes of the postal department, assuring her that she would receive the full amount after five years. Convinced, Manisha paid Rs 4.65 lakh between July 2019 and December 2023. Similarly, Shanta Patel from Visnagar paid Rs 17.85 lakh to the Bhatt family between January 2020 and January 2023.
Both women were given handwritten receipts for their payments. However, when Manisha inquired about her investment in January this year, Jagdish informed her that he did not invest her money in the postal department scheme but rather in two companies floated by him.
CID (crime) has registered a complaint against Jagdish and his family members for breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy under the IPC along with charges under the Gujarat Protection of Interest of Depositors Act. Investigators suspect that the Bhatt family may have taken money from several others, and an inquiry is underway.
This incident highlights the importance of being cautious while investing and conducting proper checks before trusting any investment scheme. It is crucial to verify the credibility of the scheme and the people involved before handing over any money to them.
