Surat: A gang has allegedly cheated a resident of Surat out of Rs. 29 lakh through an advertisement on Facebook claiming to send money to Canada from India via Hawala at cheaper rates.

A complaint has been filed against the gang of 3 to 4 persons at Varachha police station by Alpesh Ravjibhai Ukani (age 39, occupation: diamond business, Shivdhara residency, Vedant Gate, Maharaja Farm house, Mota Varachha). In his complaint, Ukani stated that his maternal uncle, Kalyan Parsotambhai Jesani, settled in Canada for over 20 years, had given Rs. 14 lakh to his nephews when they got married 3 years ago. The nephews had stored the money in a safe vault. Kalyanbhai again gave them Rs. 15 lakh when he visited Surat to preserve the money.

On February 12, 2023, Kalyanbhai called them and asked them to give the money to a person in Surat, who would then return the amount to him in Canada via another person known to him. Kalyanbhai had instructed the person in Surat to show a photo of a Rs. 10 note. A person named Kaushik had asked Alpeshbhai to give the money to him at Sachin GIDC, but Alpeshbhai had denied going there. Kaushik later received Rs. 29 lakh on a moped from Varaccha Central Bajar, but the money was not paid to Kalyan Jasani in Canada.

The address of Kaushik was found to be fake. He allegedly made a sim-card using documents of a laborer named Ramesh Ghelu and made a phone call using the same SIM card. The involvement of another person living in Canada named Ankit Kishor Dhakecha (Sidhpara) (mainly from Moti Parabdi village in Dhoraji in Rajkot district) was also found in the fraud. He made the scam with the help of his maternal cousin Mayur alias Mohit Kishorbhai Asodariya and his friend Kaushik Sheladiya. DeshGujarat