Prominent Agra bizman arrested for duping partner of Rs 2.50 cr

Agra: A prominent businessman of Agra was arrested on Thursday for allegedly duping his business partner of Rs 2.50 crore. Ramvir Sharma, who owned a transport business, was arrested by Hariparvat police. His two sons, main accused Rohit Katra and younger son Sohit Katra are on the run.

In 2017, victim Ravi Lavania, 53, a civic body contractor and resident of Khandari had floated a transport company in partnership with Rohit Katra, whose family was already involved in transport business.

“Lavania invested about Rs 3 crore in the company to buy trucks to provide freight services to private firms. The partnership was based on 66-34 % ratio, where Lavania would pump funds and Katra would run the company’s operation.

“But, just after the deal, Ravi was detected with throat cancer and left the city for medical treatment. In between, Katra, in an alleged connivance with bank officials, sent the money into the accounts of his father Ramvir and brother Sohit. He also sent some money into his account. The trio purchased private vehicles, trucks and other properties on their name with the money. When Ravi returned home, he saw the bank statements of the company and caught the fraud in 2018,” said investigating officer Neeraj Tomar.

In March 2019, an FIR was lodged against Rohit, his father and brother.

“We are also investigating the role of bank as we suspect that staff has helped the trio in siphoning off the money,” Tomar said.

They were booked under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 466 (forgery of records), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged documents), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).