Tea Post Founder Alleges Forgery, Cheating by Ex-Partner; Ahmedabad Police File FIR

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has registered a cheating and forgery case against Lalit Mansukhlal Buddhadev, the former business partner of Tea Post founder Darshan Anilbhai Dashani, for allegedly misusing cheques of a defunct partnership firm to procure tea worth lakhs of rupees by forging Dashani’s signature.

According to the FIR, Dashani, who runs the Tea Post chain with more than 275 outlets across Gujarat and other states, came across the alleged fraud around eight months ago while checking details related to his company’s proposed IPO on the SEBI website. He found that an Assam-based tea company had initiated cheque bounce proceedings against him.

During the inquiry, Dashani allegedly learnt that in 2017, Buddhadev had purchased tea worth Rs 8.51 lakh from the Assam-based company in the name of Eastern Trade Corporation, a partnership firm that had already ceased operations. The payment was allegedly made using a cheque issued from the firm’s dormant bank account, bearing Dashani’s forged signature. The cheque later bounced, prompting legal action by the supplier.

The complaint further states that Dashani subsequently received another bank alert regarding a Rs 1 lakh cheque issued to Tanay Tea Company from the same dormant account. The bank returned the cheque after the signature failed verification. He alleged that this cheque also carried a forged signature.

According to the FIR, Dashani and Buddhadev founded Tea Station in 2006 before forming Eastern Trade Corporation in 2013 for tea trading. The firm’s bank account with Kotak Mahindra Bank authorised both partners to sign cheques. Dashani exited the business in 2016, while the partnership firm was shut down by mutual agreement in 2017. The bank account was made dormant, the office was closed, and the property housing the office was sold.

Dashani alleged that the old cheque book remained with Buddhadev after the firm’s closure and was later misused to conduct transactions without his knowledge by forging his signature.

Based on the complaint, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch has registered a case and launched an investigation. Police Inspector Mehul Chauhan is probing the matter further. DeshGujarat