Dollar Scam Swindles Lakhs: Retired Air Force Officer Cheated of ₹25 Lakh in Gandhinagar as Coin Exchange Ends in Fraud
The Sector-7 police have registered a case and are conducting further investigation after two individuals, entrusted with delivering money in dollars to the brother of a retired Air Force officer living in Gandhinagar, requested 25 lakhs through an Angadia firm.
Bipinbhai Prajapati, a resident of Sector-3/C, Gandhinagar, retired as a Junior Commissioned Officer from the Air Force. His younger brother, Girishkumar Shankarlal Prajapati, has been living in Canada with his family for the past twenty years. He had previously assisted with the weddings of Bipinbhai’s children. When Girishbhai needed money in Canada, he approached Bipinbhai for assistance.
Girishbhai, residing in Canada, connected with Priyank Joga through a WhatsApp-Facebook group. Priyank promised to send Canadian dollars if Girishkumar provided 25 lakhs in cash in India. Priyank Jogani provided Girishbhai with the mobile number of a person named Kuldeep in Bhavnagar to facilitate the money transfer in India.
Bipinbhai then contacted Kuldeep in Bhavnagar using the provided number. Following this, he sent Rs. 25 lakhs through the Angadiya firm in Sector-3. Kuldeep sent a confirmation message. However, the dollars were not transferred to Canada as promised.
Subsequently, Girishbhai attempted to contact Priyank in Canada, but found that his number had been blocked. It was at this point that retired Air Force officer Bipinbhai realized he had fallen victim to a scam and reported the incident to the state home minister. The Local Crime Branch (LCB) initiated an investigation into the matter. Bipinbhai also went to Bhavnagar, obtained CCTV footage from the Angadia firm, and provided it to the police.
The Sector-7 police have registered a case of fraud and are currently conducting further investigations. It’s noteworthy that there is a WhatsApp group comprising Gujaratis living in Canada, and cases involving fraudulent activities using a similar modus operandi to deceive relatives in India, including needy Gujaratis, are on the rise within this group.
