Police have registered a case against four persons for allegedly cheating an interior decorator here of Rs 97.75 lakh under the pretext of arranging a business loan through CSR funds, officials said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.

The accused lured the 45-year-old victim, living in the Badlapur area of Maharashtra`s Thane district, by promising him a business loan of Rs 2.75 crore from funds under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), reported PTI.

Gaining his trust, the accused demanded that he deposit a bank guarantee amount. Believing their assurances, the victim paid them Rs 99.25 lakh, a Badlapur police official said, reported PTI.

Out of this, only Rs 1.5 lakh was later returned, while the remaining Rs 97.75 lakh was allegedly siphoned off without any loan being sanctioned, he said.

The victim approached the police with a complaint on Monday.

After preliminary enquiries, police registered a case against four persons under relevant legal provisions, and efforts were on to trace them, the official said.

Two booked for duping Palghar woman of Rs 17 lakh valuables

In another case, two men have allegedly cheated a 39-year-old woman in Maharashtra`s Palghar district of her valuables of Rs 17 lakh under the guise of keeping them safe, police said on Tuesday, reported PTI.

The woman`s husband is currently lodged at the Taloja Jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai in connection with a case registered in Mumbai, reported PTI.

Two of his acquaintances had approached the woman, a resident of Virar in Palghar, under the pretext of helping her, reported PTI.

The accused, hailing from Mira Road in neighbouring Thane district, allegedly created fear by telling her that a police raid was imminent at her residence, reported PTI.

Under the guise of keeping her valuables safe, they took away her gold ornaments, two mobile phones and a car, collectively valued at Rs 17.03 lakh, over the last one month, an official from Virar police station said, reported PTI.

They also took away the woman`s ATM cards, he said.

Based on her complaint, the police registered an FIR against the two men on Sunday under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating and were searching for them, the official said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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