An animation artist who was duped during coronavirus-induced lockdown and came under debt was arrested from Pune for allegedly cheating traders here with the same modus operandi.
According to police, the accused has been identified as Piyush Sharma (33), a resident of Pune. Sharma's bluff was called after a businessman in Sadar Bazar lodged a complaint alleging that he had been cheated of Rs 1.73 lakh. Police said the businessman had placed an order of 1,200 kilograms 'pooja' and 'havan' items on an e-commerce portal. He then received a call from an unidentified person who claimed that he dealt in wholesale trading of the items and could provide them at discounted rates, they said.
The accused also sent the tax invoice of 'Vijay Creation', Katraj Kondhwa Road, Pune, Maharashtra, a registration certificate and a visiting card to the complainant, police said.