<p>Mangaluru: A farmer has accused an arecanut vendor of cheating more than 24 individuals to the tune of Rs 94,77,810 through fraudulent trade involving <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/arecanut">arecanut</a> and black pepper.</p><p>In his complaint, Praveen D'Souza (45), a resident of Navoor village in Bantwal, stated that he had been regularly selling arecanut cultivated on his farm to a shop operated by Noufal Mohammad, a resident of Maindala in Navoor village. The vendor would make part payments during each transaction, promising to clear the remaining balance later.</p>.Mango cultivation slumps in Davangere dist as growers switch to arecanut.<p>On March 8, D'Souza sold approximately 6.5 quintals of arecanut, valued at around Rs 3,50,000, for which he received no payment. On June 9, the accused sent a message claiming he had incurred losses and would pay the outstanding amount in instalments.</p><p>Alarmed by this, the complainant visited Noufal’s shop on June 10, only to find it locked. The accused’s residence was also locked, and his mobile phone was switched off.</p><p>D'Souza was accompanied by 24 other individuals who had also conducted business with the accused and were awaiting payments. The complainant alleged that Noufal had absconded with the intention of committing criminal breach of trust and cheating, leaving a total of Rs 94,77,810 unpaid.</p><p>A case has been registered at the Bantwal Town Police Station under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)-2023, and an investigation is currently under way.</p>
<p>Mangaluru: A farmer has accused an arecanut vendor of cheating more than 24 individuals to the tune of Rs 94,77,810 through fraudulent trade involving <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/arecanut">arecanut</a> and black pepper.</p><p>In his complaint, Praveen D'Souza (45), a resident of Navoor village in Bantwal, stated that he had been regularly selling arecanut cultivated on his farm to a shop operated by Noufal Mohammad, a resident of Maindala in Navoor village. The vendor would make part payments during each transaction, promising to clear the remaining balance later.</p>.Mango cultivation slumps in Davangere dist as growers switch to arecanut.<p>On March 8, D'Souza sold approximately 6.5 quintals of arecanut, valued at around Rs 3,50,000, for which he received no payment. On June 9, the accused sent a message claiming he had incurred losses and would pay the outstanding amount in instalments.</p><p>Alarmed by this, the complainant visited Noufal’s shop on June 10, only to find it locked. The accused’s residence was also locked, and his mobile phone was switched off.</p><p>D'Souza was accompanied by 24 other individuals who had also conducted business with the accused and were awaiting payments. The complainant alleged that Noufal had absconded with the intention of committing criminal breach of trust and cheating, leaving a total of Rs 94,77,810 unpaid.</p><p>A case has been registered at the Bantwal Town Police Station under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)-2023, and an investigation is currently under way.</p>