STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Special Crime Wing – Crime Branch Jammu on Saturday filed a charge sheet here against three people, including a bank employee, for allegedly cheating farmers after promising handsome profit for their harvest.
The 604 pages charge-sheet was presented in the the Court of Munsif R.S. Pura against accused persons; Sonu Gupta and Shashi Gupta, sons of Niranjan Dass Gupta, both residents of Chak Aslam Tehsil R.S Pura District Jammu besides Gourav Gupta, son of Late Puran Chand, resident of Ward No. 10, Tehsil RS Pura District Jammu in case FIR No.233/2019 U/S 420, 120-B IPC P/S RS Pura, being investigated by inspector Rajesh Kumar Verma I/O under overall supervision of Sandeep Kumar Mehta SSP, Spl Crime Wing Crime Branch Jammu, for their involvement in cheating and duping the innocent farmers.
As per Crime branch Jammu, a written complaint was lodged by the complainant, namely Tirath Singh, son of Sant Singh, resident of Karan Bagh Tehsil Gadi Garh District Jammu against the three accused persons for cheating and duping the innocent farmers of their harvest and hard earned money. The accused persons collected bulk of paddy and wheat from local farmers promising them of handsome profit but did not even pay the actual cost of the same, thereby swindling the money worth crores of rupees.
Upon this complaint, a case FIR No. 233/2019 U/S 420 IPC was registered in Police Station R.S Pura Jammu. Later on the investigation of the case was transferred to Crime Branch Jammu by PHQ J&K Jammu.
During the course of investigation, it was found that the accused persons were running three firms jointly namely M/s Ashoka Traders at Chack Asram R.S Pura Jammu in the name of accused person Sonu Gupta, son of Niranjan Dass Gupta, resident of Chak Aslam Tehsil R.S Pura District Jammu; M/s Rakesh Rice Mill, Pindi Sarocha, R.S Pura, Jammu, in the name of proprietor Sonu Gupta, son of Niranjan Dass Gupta and one Puran Chand, father of accused Gourav Gupta and M/s International Cattle Feed @ Sona Feed at Village Jindalehar, R.S Pura, Jammu, registered in the name of Sonu Gupta and Puran Chand.
Puran Chand was not actively involved in the business due to health reasons and due to prolonged illness, he died in 2018. The third accused namely Shashi Gupta was an employee of J&K Bank, thus no firm was registered in his name, but he was actively involved in the said business as evident from statements of witnesses and FSL report also confirms his handwritings on receipts issued to farmers, victims in lieu of food grains received from farmers. Gourav Gupta son of Late Puran Chand was also found actively involved in the business on behalf of his father as evident from statements of witnesses and FSL report confirming his handwritings on receipts issued to farmers/victims in lieu of food grains received from farmers.
“They also accepted cash deposits with the promise of high interest to be paid per month and finally cheated them, thereby misappropriating their hard-earned money. Therefore, the offence u/s 420, 120-8 lPC are fully established proved against the three accused persons and charge-sheet has been filed before the Court of Law for Judicial determination”, according to a handout issued by the Crime Branch.
