Mumbai: The Dahisar police have registered an FIR against three individuals for allegedly cheating a sum of Rs. 23.25 crores. The complainant, Manohar Sapkal, 58, the owner of Bhagirathi Trans Corpo Private Limited Travels, faced significant losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, he decided to sell his buses.
The accused assured him that their company would sell the buses on his behalf, but they failed to hand over the proceeds from the sale of 117 buses that Sapkal had entrusted to them.
The accused have been identified as Vaibhav Sharma, Jitendra Thadani, and Sunil Thadani, directors of Om Jagdamba Private Limited, a company based in Rajasthan. According to the FIR, Sapkal, a resident of Borivali East, operates his business in Nancy Colony, Borivali East. His company provides Shivneri buses to various Municipal Corporations, State Transport Corporations, and private companies on hire.
The company had purchased over 500 buses through loans from various banks, with these buses being hired out to different entities. However, the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 brought the business to a standstill, leading to a situation where bus fares were not being generated, agreements with the entities were terminated, and loans continued to mount.
In April 2022, the directors of Om Jagdamba Private Limited—Vaibhav Sharma, Jitendra Thadani, and Sunil Thadani—met Sapkal in Mumbai. They claimed they could sell his buses and promised to give him 50% of the profit. Sapkal agreed to this proposal, and an agreement was made. To gain his trust, the accused deposited the few amount into Sapkal's bank account. Sapkal then showed them the location where the vehicles were parked.
However, after several months passed without any further communication from the directors of Om Jagdamba Private Limited, Sapkal began investigating and discovered that 117 buses were missing from the various parking lots. It was revealed that the accused had taken these buses away. When confronted, the accused evaded giving clear answers. Sapkal realised that the total loss amounted to Rs 23.25 crores.
Subsequently, Sapkal filed a complaint at Dahisar Police Station, suspecting that the company employees in Rajasthan had sold the buses. The police registered a case on August 26 under sections 34 (common intention), 409 (criminal breach of trust), and 420 (cheating and dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code.
