Hong Kong-based Indian businessman cheated by Delhi duo

A Hong Kong-based Indian businessman has claimed that he was cheated of Rs 2.55 crore by two Delhi men who promised him to supply silicon manganese which he could have sold to Arcelor Mittal, police said on Thursday.

A case has been registered by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) yesterday on the basis of the complaint filed by Satish C Mishra, Director of Sino-Global Sourcing and Supply.

Mishra had claimed that he had deposited USD 5.28 lakh (around Rs 2.55 crore) with the two businessmen over a period of time after entering into a contract with their company, a senior police official said.

"I am an business man of Indian Origin and Indian Passport holder operating my business from mainly in China and Hong Kong. I have also come to know in the business circle that the two are habitual fraudsters who have cheated and defrauded a number of businessman by their peculiar well knit pattern of trapping in their net," Mishra said in the complaint.

He approached the Delhi-based company in May 2009 after his firm got queries from Laxmi Mittal-owner Arcelor Mittal about supply of silicon manganese. In August same year, they entered into a contract.

Mishra claimed that the two businessmen suddenly changed tracks and asked him to take the entire delivery.

He also claimed that the Arcelor Mittal cancelled the order after his company could not provide the required quantity of material as the Delhi businessmen did not give him mandatory test reports or the material.

The duo, however, asked Mishra to pay the amount despite not delivering the consignment. They had a meeting in September 2010 in Delhi when it appeared that the deal was back on track.

But the Delhi duo informed him after he returned to China that they had forfeited the amount paid by him.