Rajkot: A case of fraud was registered at Manavadar police station by a farmer from Piplana village, Chandulal Jadav, 51, who was allegedly cheated of Rs 32 lakh by three men, Vivek Chauhan, Ravi Chotaliya and Jashpal Bhatti, who took the money by promising to get Jadav’s son a job in the railways.According to the complaint, the fraud began over a year when Jadav came into contact with Vivek Chauhan of Shapur village near Vanthli, through a family connection. Chauhan claimed to have strong ties with railway officials and promised to get a job for Jadav’s son, Utsav, in the railways, saying it would require an initial “expense” of Rs 2.5 lakh.Jadav began paying the sum in instalments. Chauhan then introduced the two others — Ravi Chotaliya and Jashpal Bhatti — who pretended to be railway officials and communicated with Jadav and his son over the phone.The trio convinced Jadav to transfer Rs 32 lakh to Chauhan’s bank account over the 15 months preceding Oct 2024. Despite the money being paid, no job order was never received. When repeatedly pressed for the document, Vivek Chauhan sent a forged order in a PDF file, via WhatsApp, on Oct 1, claiming that the signed original would follow.The deception was uncovered when the family realized Vivek Chauhan was not employed. They were promised their money back, but received nothing. Police booked Chauhan, Chotaliya and Bhatti under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 316 (2), 318 (2), 319 (2), 336 (2), 336 (3), 204 and 54.Manavadar police are searching for the accused and are also investigating whether others were cheated in a similar manner.
