HYDERABAD: A 60-year-old businesswoman filed a criminal complaint against six individuals, including her brother, after being duped into investing 2.8 crore in a fake coffee powder manufacturing company. The investment scheme of Rs 5.7 crore, which promised high returns, turned out to be a scam that has left her and others with significant financial losses.
The businesswoman was approached in 2019 by her brother and his wife, who promised her a 4% monthly return on investment. They claimed the money would be used to fund a coffee powder manufacturing company based in Kenya, which was expanding with a new unit in the US. To gain her trust, the accused allegedly showed photos and videos of popular West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle, claiming he was involved in the business as its promoter.
“The complainant was told by the accused that the owner of the company is known to them and one of the accused is going to be a partner in the company,” central crime station officials said.
Trusting her brother, the businesswoman invested 2.8 crore. She then encouraged family members and friends to invest another 2.2 crore. Others invested 70 lakh, totalling 5.7 crore. Initially, the accused paid returns, convincing investors that the business was legit. However, payments stopped after a period, and when the woman confronted her brother, he claimed their children had confirmed the company’s US unit was operational. Despite requests for updates, the accused kept evading their questions. When the woman confronted her brother, he allegedly hurled abuses at her. The victims, who had invested 5.7 crore, received only 90 lakh in returns.
