Beautician Files Police Complaint Against Cosmetics Company
A 48-year-old beautician from Gondal town has filed a formal complaint at the B Division police station, alleging that she and two friends were defrauded of Rs 10.73 lakh by the owners of an Odisha-based cosmetics company. The case involves a distributor scheme that turned into a financial nightmare for the women.
The Distributor Scheme That Turned Sour
Rita Lunagariya, who operates a beauty parlour from her residence, stated that a couple owning a company called Beauty Care took substantial amounts of money from her and her friends—Nita Sukhadiya and Rekha Raiyani—promising to make them distributors for their cosmetic products.
According to the police application, Lunagariya and Sukhadiya initially joined as distributors in 2020. The situation escalated in 2022 when the company owners allegedly demanded a Rs 5 lakh deposit for a 10% commission scheme.
Sukhadia transferred Rs 2.5 lakh in June 2022, while Lunagariya transferred Rs 3.24 lakh between December 2022 and February 2023. Despite receiving products, the women claim they never received proper bills for their purchases.
Expired Products and Broken Promises
The problems began mounting when the women discovered they had received expired products worth approximately Rs 2.5 lakh. As per their agreement with the company owners, Lunagariya returned the expired goods but received neither replacements nor refunds.
The third victim, Rekha Raiyani, who runs a beauty parlour in Gondal, joined the scheme to sell cosmetics and beauty products in Rajkot. Her husband sent Rs 4.99 lakh to the same company in January 2023. She faced identical issues—receiving expired goods and being denied refunds after returning the products.
All three women encountered customer complaints about the cosmetics quality, making the business unsustainable. When they demanded their deposits back, the accused couple allegedly took them on tours to Goa, Kashmir, and Thailand instead of returning their money.
Police Investigation Initiated
After realizing they couldn't continue the business and receiving only empty promises about refunds, Lunagariya decided to approach the police. The complaint states that the accused repeatedly promised to return the money whenever Lunagariya threatened to file a police case.
Having waited for a considerable time without any refund, the women finally approached the B Division police station. Police have begun a preliminary inquiry into the matter to verify the allegations and determine the appropriate legal action.
The case highlights the risks small business owners face when entering into distributor agreements without proper legal safeguards and documentation.
