Gandhinagar: Infocity Police have booked a city-based couple, Nirav Mahendra Dave and his wife Meera Nirav Dave, for allegedly defrauding a businessman of over Rs 1.90 crore by creating a fake Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) tender and presenting it as genuine.

The complainant, businessman Darshanbhai Gordhanbhai Rami, runs Maruti Nandan Bharat Gas Agency in Infocity, Gandhinagar. According to the FIR, the accused operated their company, Om Enterprise, from a shop next to Rami’s office. Rami stated that he had known the couple for over 12 years and had frequent interactions with them, which led to financial dealings.

In June 2024, Nirav and Meera Dave allegedly approached Rami, claiming that their company had been awarded a tender worth Rs 22.58 crore by SMC for beautifying the Tapi Riverfront in Surat. They showed him a letter of tender acceptance, which appeared genuine, and convinced him to invest, promising high returns. Trusting them, Rami invested Rs 1.12 crore, including Rs 25 lakh in cash. Additional sums of Rs 24 lakh and Rs 54 lakh were reportedly collected from Rami’s associates for investment in the same tender.

When repeatedly asked by the complainant to return the money, the accused couple allegedly kept telling him that the funds had not been received yet and that once received, they would repay him.

The complainant later found out that no such tender had been awarded by SMC. Instead, the couple had created a fake tender letter and used it to collect money from others. Despite repeated attempts to contact them and recover the funds, Nirav and Meera Dave allegedly failed to return the money.

Finally, the businessman approached Infocity Police on Tuesday and filed an FIR against the couple. The police have booked the accused under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 416(5), 418(4), 420(2), 420(3), 423, 406(2), and 120B(2).

The accused are residents of 689/2, Prankunj, Sector-23, Gandhinagar. Police are investigating the matter and compiling details of other possible victims.