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Scams mounting to crores in Bengaluru

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CIOL Bureau
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BANGALORE, INDIA: With no signs of improvement on the economic slowdown, markets across the country are beginning to show signs of burning out. In Bengaluru, channel partners claim that the market has gone down by a steep 40 percent on select products.

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To make matters worse, the Bengaluru IT market, which saw some of the worst scams in November and December last, continues to be targeted by scamsters.

Pooja Impex and System Solutions are allegedly the latest to join the absconders list, which includes Jupiter IT Solutions and KS Info Systems. The amount Ramesh Patel, Proprietor, Pooja Impex owes to dealers and distributors in Bengaluru market is said to be nearly Rs 1 to 2 crore.

“The reseller opened his office four months back in Marathalli area and two weeks back he suddenly disappeared from the scene. On inquiring at his residential area and office, we learned that Patel was last seen on Feb 21,” said Ripan Kumar Gupta, CEO, G-net Technologies, Bengaluru. Patel’s strategy seems to be a very well thought out one.

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He would give current dated cheques to partners and made it a point to gain their trust by honoring all previous payments.

“I was cheated in my fourth and last dealing with Patel, for Rs 1.45 lakh. He gave me a current dated cheque but since it was Saturday we deposited the cheque only the following Tuesday. On Thursday, we found out that the cheque had bounced,” Gupta informed.

Patel owes Rs 28 lakh to Luminous Computers, Rs 90,000 to Anandit Computers, Rs 85,000 to Madhu Infotronics, Rs 1.35 lakh to Sun Marketing and Rs 1.7 lakh to Rajendra Computers. Gupta, who is spearheading the case against Pooja Impex claimed that a lot of partners had not been forthcoming about details of the amounts they had lost to absconding partners. “We have filed a case against Ramesh Patel in the Ashok Nagar Police Station. After basic inquiries, we hope to get the FIR filed by the police,” Gupta said.

Apart from these scams, another thing that is bothering the channels is the dip in sales. “Sales have gone down by nearly 40 percent in the market for the past two months and we are hoping of getting some business in April. However, our fingers are crossed as the situation might get even worse judging by the ongoing market trend,” opined Shrikanth, Business Head, Hollasons Trading.

When contacted a national disti in Benguluru informed that there has been a 40 percent drop in sales on select products like notebooks, and over all sales was down by nearly 25 percent.

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