A snack shop owner from Dahanu in Maharashtra’s Palghar district has been cheated of nearly Rs 6.5 lakh with the promise of getting a loan for his son under a central scheme, the police said on Saturday.

The complainant told the police that accused Arvind Vinayak Baviskar offered to arrange a loan under the Centre’s Micro-Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) scheme that provides credit of up to Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs.

Between January 2021 and November 2022, the accused allegedly collected Rs 6.5 lakh from the complainant on various pretexts, including charges towards the preparation of a project report, for the sanction of the loan in his son’s name, said an official.

The accused handed him over fake documents claiming that that loan had been sanctioned.

When the complainant realised he had been conned, he approached the police.

Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil said a case has been registered against accused Baviskar under Indian Penal Code sections, including 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery) and 464 (making of a false document in the name of a fictitious person).

No arrest has been made so far, he added.

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