Internationally renowned chef Bimba Nayak and her family members lost more than INR 1.62 crore (USD 195,141) to a woman con, who posed as a public prosecutor, having several cases of cheating and impersonation in her name.
The accused Shweta Badgujar, currently in judicial custody in connection with other offences, duped the complainant under several pretexts, ranging from gold coins business to lucrative real estate offer.
Details of the scam
In her complaint lodged with the Dadar police, Nayak said that she met Badgujar in 2021 during a fashion show in which the latter was a participant. The con introduced herself as a prosecutor and told the chef about her “contacts” in Dubai.
She told Nayak that she could help her secure good opportunities in Dubai-based five-star hotels. Badgujar further said that her brother, Piyush Pradhan, is a senior official at the Mumbai Airport Customs department. She trapped Nayak, saying that her sibling keeps buying seized gold coins during auctions and later sells them at reasonable prices.
After repeated proposals, the chef and her family agreed to make investments. Initially, Badgujar gave profits and managed to convince Nayak’s other kins to enter into the business.
When the chef’s daughter, who lives in the USA, didn’t show interest, Badgujar came up with a real estate scheme. She proposed to help her buy a flat in Bliss Casa Apartment, located in Dadar West, for INR 1 crore (USD 120,457), which was way lesser than the actual price. In parts, they paid INR 68 lakh (USD 81,911) for the flat. However, Badgujar didn’t provide the flat’s agreement copy.
Next, she defrauded Nayak on the pretext of selling luxury watches procured through her brother. Despite giving over INR 15 lakh (USD 18,068), the chef didn’t get any timepiece. Sensing something amiss, Nayak and her family started to inquire about Badgujar and slowly the pieces of the fraudulent puzzle started to fall in place.
They came to know that there was no saleable flat in Bliss Casa. The ultimate shock for the family was the information that there was no Customs officer named Piyush Pradhan.
Multiple other cases against Shweta Badgujar
Senior Inspector Rajendra Avhad said that they will request the court for Badgujar’s custodial interrogation. She has been named in three cases at the Bandra police station, and one each at Mulund, Vakola, Oshiwara, Kandivali, DN Nagar and Thane’s Shrinagar police station.
Based on Nayak’s complaint, a case has been registered against her under the Indian Penal Code sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating).
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)