Victim threatened after being promised double returns on investment
An NRI from Lunawada, Mahisagar district, was allegedly defrauded of ₹1.23 crore by a Swaminarayan sect devotee from Vidyanagar, who lured him into an investment scheme promising to double his money in a short period. The victim, a Canadian citizen, was later threatened with death, leading him to file a police complaint, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
Kalpeshkumar Patel, 47, originally from Dalukhadiya, Lunawada, and currently residing in Mississauga, Canada, runs an educational institute. In 2022, during a visit to Haridham in Sokhda, Vadodara, he met Milan Kumar, also known as Nishchint Patel, a resident of Vidyanagar.
Milan, claiming to be a longtime devotee of Hariprasad Swami, convinced Kalpesh to invest in various schemes, including real estate and visa consultancy under ‘Prabodham International.’
Trusting Milan, Kalpesh initially handed over ₹23 lakh in cash, for which Milan provided security in the form of property documents.
Later, Milan persuaded him to invest ₹1 crore, promising high returns within 18 months. Kalpesh transferred ₹1,30,72,500 through multiple transactions.
On January 7, 2025, during a confrontation at Atmiya Vidhya Dham Mandir in Bakrol, Milan openly threatened Kalpesh, stating that neither his profit nor his principal investment would be returned
When the repayment period ended, Milan returned only ₹7.5 lakh, making excuses and refusing to return the full amount.
When Kalpesh demanded his money back, Milan allegedly threatened him, warning that he could use blank cheques and property documents against him.
Milan also claimed to have strong political connections and warned Kalpesh to drop the matter. In January 2024, Milan signed an agreement to return the money by May 2024 but failed to do so, leading Kalpesh to file a police complaint.
Meanwhile, Milan, his family members, and associates filed civil cases against Kalpesh in Anand Civil Court.
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