Mumbai, April 21 (IANS) A sensational case involving multi-crore fraud, abduction-like confinement and extortion has surfaced in Mumbai’s Vile Parle East area, where a businessman was allegedly duped of Rs 3.25 crore by a group that lured him with promises of high investment returns, police said.

According to officials, the accused first persuaded the businessman to invest Rs 1 crore with assurances of substantial profits. When he later demanded his money back after growing suspicious, he and his company’s General Manager were allegedly held at gunpoint, threatened with death and forced to transfer an additional Rs 2.25 crore.

A case has been registered at the Airport Police Station, Mumbai, against 10 accused, and a manhunt has been launched to trace and arrest them.

As per the complaint filed by the victim, Ayush Nakra, the alleged conspiracy was executed between July 15, 2025, and August 28, 2025. The complainant stated that four brokers — Lakshminarayan Agarwal, Devkumar Roy, Sushilkumar Yadav and Chetan Sanghvi — approached him claiming links with a major investment network and convinced him to invest in a firm identified as ‘Archship Group’.

The accused allegedly assured the businessman that his investment would multiply significantly within a short span and repeatedly emphasised that his funds would remain secure, gradually gaining his trust.

The complaint further states that on August 22, 2025, the accused arranged for the transfer of Rs 1 crore from the victim’s company account to an entity named ‘Manav Dharmayog NGO’, claiming that it was part of the investment process and that returns would follow soon.

However, when the businessman began questioning the transaction and sought clarity on the promised returns, the attitude of the accused reportedly changed.

Police said that when the victim demanded a refund, the accused allegedly threatened him with a firearm. On August 28, 2025, one of the key accused, Umesh Kumar Suman alias Subodh Ranjan, along with around 15 associates, allegedly confronted the businessman and his company’s General Manager, Pankaj Rawat.

During the incident, both men were allegedly assaulted, with the attackers using kicks and punches while also pointing a pistol at them. The accused are said to have threatened to kill them on the spot if they failed to comply with their demands.

Fearing for their lives, the businessman agreed to transfer an additional Rs 2.25 crore from his company’s account to another entity, ‘Nai Jeevan Jyoti Foundation’, bringing the total amount allegedly extorted to Rs 3.25 crore.

Based on the complaint, police on April 18, 2026, registered a case against multiple accused, including Ramashish Kumar Gupta alias Kumar Sir, Umesh Kumar Suman alias Subodh Ranjan, Lakshminarayan Agarwal, Devkumar Roy, Sushilkumar Yadav, Chetan Sanghvi, Surendra Kumar, Sakshi Kumari alias Varsha, Swati, Goyal and others.

Investigators said efforts are underway to track down the accused and uncover the full extent of the network involved.

Police are examining bank accounts, financial transactions and operational links to determine whether the NGOs named in the case were being used as fronts for a larger fraudulent investment racket.

Further investigation into the case is ongoing, officials said.

–IANS

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