Surat: A garment firm owner from Katargam, Deepak Pachani, was allegedly cheated out of Rs 2.11 crore by trader Pradip Chaudhary.
The accused purchased chaniya-choli garments worth ₹2.91 crore, made partial payments, and then shut his business before fleeing to Rajasthan with his family. When his cheques bounced and the payment was not returned, Pachani filed a cheating complaint with the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police station.
Pachani, who deals in readymade chaniya-cholis, sourced garments from local manufacturers and sold them through brokers and direct channels. He first met Chaudhary in 2016 through a firm owned by Chaudhary’s wife, Dapiyadevi.
In Dec 2023, when Pachani started selling chaniya-choli, Chaudhary convinced him of lucrative business prospects and promised timely payments. Between Dec 2023 and Feb 2024, Pachani supplied garments worth Rs 39.06 lakh from Shlock Fashion and Rs 2.52 crore from Sahajanand Creations to Chaudhary’s firm in the Arihant Textile Market on a 30-45 day credit basis.
Although Chaudhary initially paid Rs 26.20 lakh via bank transfer and Rs 53.70 lakh in cash, he failed to clear the remaining Rs 2.11 crore, citing various excuses. In May 2024, Chaudhary shut his shop, switched off his phone, and absconded.
Pachani and his partner, Haresh Vekariya, travelled to Chaudhary’s native place in Jalore district of Rajasthan, on July 31, but could not locate him. They met his wife, Dapiyadevi, who promised payment. Chaudhary later sent cheques through relatives, but these were dishonoured.
After repeated failures to recover the amount, Pachani lodged a complaint with the DCB police. The case is now under investigation by the Economic Offences Cell.
