Mumbai, Jan 29: In a shocking case of alleged financial fraud, a 52-year-old customs clearance agent from Ghatkopar has been cheated of Rs 11.5 crore after being lured with promises of an interest-free
loan of Rs 200 crore, purportedly backed by a cash hoard of Rs 300 crore stored in a godown in West Champaran, Bihar.
The Pant Nagar Police have registered an FIR against Vivekkumar Umeshkumar Sinha alias Abhishekkumar Singh Chauhan, his wife Akanksha Awasthi, and their associates, and have launched an investigation into the case.
How the accused gained trust
According to the FIR, the complainant, Hitesh Kantilal Ajmera, a resident of Garudiya Nagar, Ghatkopar (East), runs a customs clearance agency named Sadgurukrupa Agencies in Sakinaka, Andheri (East). In January 2024, Ajmera was introduced to Shantilal Gopal Patel, a resident of North Goa, through his office staffer Sandeep Gaikwad.
In February 2024, Patel informed Ajmera that he owned a purported 110-acre land parcel in Goa which he intended to sell, offering Ajmera a substantial commission if he could arrange an investor. In March, Patel further introduced Ajmera to Vivekkumar Sinha and his wife Akanksha Awasthi, claiming that Awasthi was a well-known Bhojpuri film actress.
Claims of cash hoard and loan
Patel allegedly told Ajmera that Sinha, a native of Bettiah in West Champaran district of Bihar, had stored around Rs 300 crore in cash in boxes inside a godown, but required funds to release the money. In return, Sinha was willing to provide an interest-free loan of Rs 100 crore to investors for a few years.
Ajmera attempted to arrange funds by mortgaging Patel’s alleged Goa land and even approached private financiers in Pune, but the deal failed as financiers refused to fund vacant land. Subsequently, Patel brought Sinha and Awasthi to Ajmera’s office, where they allegedly convinced him to invest.
Awasthi allegedly claimed to own a film studio named AKS Patshala Entertainment located at Laxmi Industrial Estate, Andheri (West), where Bhojpuri film shoots and training for new artists were conducted. The couple assured Ajmera that he would receive Rs 200 crore interest-free within four days of investment.
Payments and alleged deception
Trusting their claims, Ajmera transferred Rs 50 lakh on March 22, 2024. In May 2024, he travelled to Patna, Bihar, along with Sinha and Patel, where they met the alleged godown owner, Raviraj Sharma. Sharma allegedly demanded Rs 11 crore to release the cash, following which Sinha asked Ajmera to arrange the amount.
To gain Ajmera’s confidence, the accused allegedly provided him with photocopies of a godown lease agreement executed between Sharma and Sinha’s father, Umeshkumar Sinha, notarised on December 14, 2023. Believing the documents to be genuine, Ajmera paid a total of Rs 11 crore.
Accused disappears
However, while travelling back to Bihar, Sinha allegedly disappeared after stopping at a shop on the pretext of buying sweets. When he failed to return despite repeated attempts to contact him, Ajmera realised he had been cheated and subsequently lodged a complaint with the police.
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Police are investigating the case and are working to trace the accused and verify the authenticity of the documents and claims made regarding the alleged cash hoard.
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