A Navi Mumbai e-service centre operator is under investigation for allegedly defrauding numerous individuals of over Rs 20 lakh by falsely promising business loans under the 'Stand-Up India' scheme.
Police have registered a case against an e-service centre operator in Navi Mumbai for allegedly cheating several people of more than Rs 20 lakh under the pretext of arranging business loans from a bank, officials said on Monday.
The accused, who operated an e-seva kendra at Karanjade in the Panvel area, promised loans to people under the 'Stand-Up India' scheme, they said.
He told a 32-year-old local delivery worker that he could secure a business loan of Rs 42 lakh from a leading public lender after verifying his credit score, an official from Panvel police station said.
The accused allegedly demanded Rs 3.5 lakh as documentation, processing and file-making charges for sanctioning the loan, which the victim paid in instalments over the last two years.
Later, the accused closed his centre, and his phone was switched off. Upon enquiry, the victim came across other people who also claimed to have paid sums ranging between Rs 28,000 and Rs 2.9 lakh each to the accused for similar promised loans. The total amount allegedly collected from 18 victims was Rs 20.81 lakh, the police said.
Based on the delivery worker's complaint, the police registered a case against the accused on Saturday on charges of cheating and efforts were on to trace him, they added.