Fake Patanjali officials con ceramics trader

AHMEDABAD: A city-based ceramics trader on Thursday filed a complaint of cheating against a person who pretended to be officials of Patanjali, and cheated him of Rs 7 lakh using a false promise of getting him a franchise to open an outlet of the herbal giant.
Kanu Naran Patel (55), a resident of Nandanvan Bungalows on Science City Road in Sola, filed a complaint at Sola High Court Police Station, stating that a man who introduced himself as Dipak Yadav, a Patanjali official, had cheated him.
“On February 19, 2018, I was surfing the internet and found a website “patanjalidealership.in”. I filed an application to open a Patanjali outlet. On February 21, I got a call from a person who asked for my documents and a Rs 20,000 deposit to get a franchise,” said Patel in the FIR.
Later, other persons, posing as Patanjali officials would call Patel to get money to provide him a licence to open his outlet, said the FIR.
Between February 28, 2018 and April 24, 2018, Patel continuously paid such officials whenever they demanded money. Ultimately, Patel ended up paying Rs 7 lakh to an account number provided by these persons. When Patel asked what happened to his outlet, the accused persons started avoiding him. Some of them went incommunicado after which he approached police and filed a complaint of cheating and breach of trust against unknown persons.