A 63-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI) lost over Rs22 lakh to a carpenter after inadvertently adding an extra zero, while transferring Rs2.54 lakh to the latter, who subsequently refused to return the whopping amount.
According to the FIR lodged on September 27, the complainant, Shailin Balare, who is settled in the US, last year bought a house in Santacruz West. He decided to install wood flooring in his house and searched the internet for a carpenter. He found a shop, SMK Flooring, located in Andheri West. On June 26, Balare and his wife visited the shop and discussed the flooring work with the owner, Dalaram Sutar, who gave a quotation of Rs7.07 lakh. In July, the complainant transferred Rs1 lakh advance to Sutar before leaving for the US, said the FIR.
Sutar then sought 50% of the total amount, which came to Rs2.54 lakh. However, the sexagenarian mistakenly added an extra zero and transferred Rs F25.4 lakh. Upon realising the expensive error, Balare contacted the accused and requested him to return the excess amount. Initially, he assured him that he would pay back soon, but kept giving evasive replies later. The complainant then asked his interior designer to visit Sutar's shop, however, he had left for Rajasthan, said the FIR.
After coming to India on August 14, Balare again spoke to the accused, warning that if he didn't return the money, he would be forced to approach the police. However, Sutar bluntly refused to comply and hung up the phone.
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Based on Balare's complaint, the DN Nagar police have booked a case under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
