Scrap racket busted

The Nagpur rural police have busted an international fake aluminum scrap supply racket with the arrest of two Mumbai-based persons who allegedly duped a local trader to the tune of Rs 90 lakh.

Yogesh Kaushik and Vinod Modi have been remanded in police custody while two more accused wanted in the case are abscounding, said Yashwi Yadav, superintendent of police.

The racket was busted after Gurmeet Singh Vij, who owns an aluminum scrap factory at Kalmeshwar near here, filed a police complaint after being duped by the accused, he said.

Kaushik and Vinod, posing as owners of an aluminum scarp supply office in Germany, Merlock, which has no existence but a namesake company was indeed operating in London, lured Vij for supply of scrap at less than market price.

They struck a deal with Vij for supply of 100 tonne of scrap and obtained 25 per cent advance payment towards supply, police said.

The accused utilised the details of the London company and managed to transfer Rs 90 lakh they got from Vij to their company's account in an Austrian bank.

When the material was not supplied on time, Vij grew suspicious and visited the company office in Germany. The Nagpur businessman lodged a complaint with German police and on his return with the Nagpur rural police.