Man booked for duping widow of Rs 7 cr through GST fraud loan assistance promise

PTI, May 18, 2026, Mumbai :  One person was booked for allegedly cheating a woman through false promises of financial assistance and business loans after the death of her husband, a Mumbai police official said on Monday.

The Bangur Nagar police station official identified the accused as Bharat Singh alias Johnny, who allegedly obtained complainant Sonia Ambavat's GST login credentials, password and important documents and carried out fake transactions to the tune of Rs 7 crore in her company's name.

"The fraud came to light when GST officials visited her residence. Sonia Ambavat, a resident of Malad, had started a catering business. In June 2025, her husband Anil Ambavat had introduced her to the accused, who allegedly claimed he could arrange a business loan and help them establish a food truck business," the official said.

After Anil Ambavat's death in October last year, Singh remained in regular contact with the family and gained their trust by offering financial support for household expenses and their child's school fees, he said.

"Singh later collected the company's GST certificate, login ID, OTP details and the mobile SIM card linked to the GST account. Sonia Ambavat realised something is amiss after she got a message stating that the GST account password had been changed," he said.

Upon further inquiry, it was allegedly revealed that the accused had created fake invoices and shown fraudulent business transactions in the company's name, resulting in generation of a GST liability of nearly Rs 7 crore, the official added.

"The complainant approached a chartered accountant for verification, during which it was found that the transactions were linked to bank accounts in Visakhapatnam. As per the complainant, Singh has cheated both the government and the company through fraudulent activities," he said.

A case has been registered against Singh and further probe is underway, the official informed.