Rice Fraud Shocker: Rs 69.41 Lakh Stolen, Main Accused Caught in Rajasthan

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a breakthrough in a fraud case involving lakhs of rupees under the guise of purchasing rice from Chikka area, the CIA-1 police team, led by SI Ramesh Kumar and ASI Praveen Kumar, arrested the main accused, Rinku Jethani, a resident of Jeevan Pran Society, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in Pinana, Rajasthan.

According to the police spokesperson, the case originated from a complaint by Sachin Goyal, a resident of Sector 20 HUDA Kaithal, who holds a share in Radha Krishna Rice and General Mill located on Patiala Road in Cheeka. Along with his wife, Suman Goyal, and his nephews Aditya, Suman Goyal, and Pratibha Goyal, he has been managing the mill for the last nine years. As per the government policy, the mill buys paddy from the grain market, processes it into rice, and sells it through brokers.

Sachin Goyal has known broker Prakash Machhal Khatri from Mumbai for the past five years. Prakash used to purchase rice from his mill, make timely payments, and become a trusted partner. In August 2024, Prakash informed Goyal that he had connected with three companies—Shreeji Enterprises from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Sona Enterprises from Ahmedabad, and Maa Tulja Bhavani Agritech Private Limited from Dewas, Indore. Prakash assured Goyal that the owners of these companies, Deepesh and Mahesh, were trustworthy businessmen who paid well and on time. Trusting Prakash, Goyal sent rice worth Rs 69.41 lakh to the companies on September 6, 2024.

However, when the payment failed to arrive, Goyal investigated and discovered that the addresses provided by the accused were fake. It was later revealed that the true identity of Deepesh was Rajesh Indralal Lalwani and Mahesh’s real name was Rinku Jethani. A case was registered at Cheeka Police Station, and the accused have been placed under a nine-day police remand for extensive questioning.