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Cloth Merchant turns Conman After

Panipat City:: The Special Operation Squad team of crime branch has arrested 44-year-old Anil Juneja, son of a retired officer from the Union ministry of agriculture, for duping different businessmen of about Rs 3.5 crore. The accused was a successful cloth merchant in Moti Bagh with his profits running into lakhs. In 2005, he suffered a loss of Rs 70 lakh when his foreign clients backed out after ordering garments. "Juneja decided to employ the same tactics which had been used to cheat him. He was arrested on Friday from near Kashmere Gate. He cheated businessmen running firms across seven Indian cities — Delhi, Gurgaon, Panipat, Benaras, Surat, Amritsar and Bhopal," said DCP (crime) Ashok Chand. The SOS team, which was being led by ACP Udaiveer Singh Rathi, said the accused had opened a business firm in the name of a world-famous luxury brand. The accused fooled businessman by saying he was the regional head of the Indian franchise of the International brand. "He appointed sub-franchises. He procured garments and fabrics at low rates from local manufacturers and sold them as original products of the luxury brand to the sub-franchises at inflated prices. He made about Rs 75 lakh through this business. The accused and his associate kept defrauding people till they were apprehended under the Copyright Act by the Gurgaon police. "Though his wife separated from him because of his criminal activities, he did not mend his ways," said a senior officer. It was revealed during interrogation that the accused had dropped out from a reputed south campus college. By that time, he had gained three years of experience in managing an independent business. In 1989, he joined an export house in Greater Kailash and worked there till 1996. In 2000, he shifted to Phase V, Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon, and had a successful business till 2005. "After suffering a huge loss, Juneja shifted his business to Phase-IV, Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon and opened another business firm in the name of 'Aman Creations'. He cashed in on his reputation and placed orders to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore for fabrics from various firms in Delhi, Gurgaon, Panipat, Banaras, Surat, Amritsar and Bhopal. He used the name of some stalwarts and in a business where trust and buying on credit go hand in hand, no one doubted him. He handed over expired cheques for payment of the fabrics to these traders," said Rathi. He sold these fabrics to different persons at 32% to 35% of the actual cost price for quick gain. He closed his business in 2006 and disappeared from Delhi and Gurgaon. Meanwhile, the expired cheques when presented in the bank got bounced and cases were registered against him. Read more: Cloth merchant turns conman after loss in business, arrested .

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