Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai (SHP)
Dubai, Jul 23: A number of rice exporters from India are in Dubai to probe a scam worth AED 15.38 million that has devastated them. Vipin Goel, managing director of Kamla Rice and General Mills in Karnal stated that over 250 rice shipping containers have allegedly disappeared from a warehouse they shipped the orders to, GULF NEWS, leading English daily from UAE reported.
The bigger ordeal is the disappearance is not only of the containers, but also the owner and the entire staff of Dubai’s Al Rawnaq Al Thabhi General Trading. The company had ordered around 6,000 tonne of rice from approximately 20 exporters in India between March and April 2019.
The scam involved a lot of planning and attention to detail, traders were handed a Telegraphic Transfer (TT) receipt for each shipment which served as ‘proof’ for electronically remitting their payments to their respective banks in India.
Picture credit - GULF NEWS
Over a period of time, 23 TTs totaling USD 4.18 million got cancelled after cheques issued against them bounced. When the victims of the scams, reached Dubai they found the Al Rawnaq’s rented warehouse in Al Quoz where the rice containers were delivered empty and also found its office at XL Tower in Business Bay, vacant.
The accused left a long trail of victims behind namely; KG Industries USD 1.02 million; Harman Rice USD 553,640; Amritsar Riceland USD 451,250; Aarna Foodstfuff USD 289,925; AS Impex USD 287,985 and Heera Rice Mills USD 131,435.
The victims have approached the local authorities and Indian consulate officials in Dubai and detailed the scale of the scam. Pankaj Bodkhe, Consul (Economic & Education) at the Indian consulate confirmed meeting some of the victims, “Yes they have met us. We have taken up the matter with local authorities in Dubai.”