Gang duping traders with Covid equipment busted in Gujarat

RAJKOT: The local crime branch (LCB) of rural police busted a gang which cheated medical equipment and drug traders by luring them on social media promising to provide them pulse oximeters and other equipment including Covid-related drugs at a cheaper price. Cops arrested Jayvin Mangecha (36), a resident of Raiya Road in Rajkot and Vahid Rafai (30), a resident of Jetpur town who has so far admitted to siphoning off Rs 28 lakh from 30 traders and medical owners from around 13 states. According to police the duo used GST number, name and address of a Jetpur-based firm and opened several bogus accounts on facebook. They posted several pictures of pulse oximeters, hand gloves, hand sanitizers, remdesivir vials and other useful Covid-related things posing as the owners of Shreenathji trading firm. Besides offering these things at a much cheaper rate in bulk, the duo also gained traders’ trust by providing the firm’s GST number and visiting card along with pictures. LCB police inspector, AR Gohil said, “They had provided several mobile numbers on their fake facebook IDs. When somebody approached them they used to show them some oximeters, sanitizers on video calls and would keep empty cartons in the background. They also would show people invoices of other traders and gain their trust.” When any trader wanted to place an order the duo would ask them to deposit an advance amount in their bank account. But, once the money is deposited, they would keep delaying delivery of the goods under various pretexts like shortage of supply, non availability of transportation before switching off the number.According to a police complaint, of the 30 traders they cheated three are from Gujarat including two from Ahmedabad and one from Gandhidham. The trio was cheated for Rs 4.14 lakh. The other traders belong to Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttrakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Karnataka.