A medical equipment trader in Ahmedabad has become the victim of a sophisticated fraud, losing over Rs 24 lakh to her own employees in a scam involving fictitious purchases and sales of surgical gloves. The city's Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) has registered a case and launched an investigation.
The Elaborate Scheme Unfolds
The complainant, a 30-year-old woman who operates a medicine and surgical trading business from an office on Science City Road, hired a man as a medical representative in March this year. He was recruited via an online job portal and given significant responsibility for purchasing surgical items and collecting payments from clients across Gujarat.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the fraud began within weeks of his hiring. The employee allegedly started taking cash in instalments from his employer. He claimed the money was needed to purchase surgical gloves from a supplier based in Gandhinagar. He further assured her that these goods were being sold to various hospitals and distributors, with payments expected within 30 to 45 days.
A Web of Deception and Forged Documents
Over several months, the representative took a total of Rs 24.31 lakh on different dates, consistently maintaining that all transactions were legitimate and that the proceeds would be credited soon. The plot thickened with the involvement of a sales coordinator who joined the firm in April. This coordinator's role was to verify deliveries and payments with clients, a crucial check-and-balance that was allegedly never performed.
Instead, the coordinator repeatedly reassured the business owner that payments from clients were pending but would be received. This coordinator left the job in July. When the promised funds consistently failed to materialize, the trader initiated her own verification process. Her findings revealed a shocking truth.
Neither the supposed Gandhinagar-based supplier nor the several distributors had actually conducted any of the transactions claimed by the employee. Furthermore, the person presented as the owner of the supplying company had no association with the firm named in the bills provided to the complainant.
Confrontation, Failed Settlement, and Police Action
Upon being confronted, the main accused employee allegedly became evasive and eventually stopped cooperating entirely. In a bid to resolve the matter, a notarised settlement agreement was executed in August. However, the promised repayment never happened.
The trader's complaint details a calculated deception. She alleges that the accused used forged bills, deleted crucial data, and consistently fed her false information to maintain her trust and continue the fraud. After exhausting all other options, she approached the DCB police on Saturday to lodge a formal complaint.
Officials from the Detection of Crime Branch have confirmed that a case has been registered. Offences include cheating, criminal breach of trust, and forgery against the medical representative, the sales coordinator, and a third accomplice. The police are now actively investigating to trace the complex money trail and recover the lost funds.
