Mohali, Jan. 21 -- Police have registered a case against a Gujarat resident for allegedly cheating local investors of Rs.1.05 crore by promising franchises of reputed international and Indian food brands. According to the police, the accused, identified as Vibhanshu Vaibhav, approached the investors and held meetings at various locations, including Mohali, claiming he could arrange franchises for a commercial project through strong industry connections and prior approvals. Believing these claims, the investors transferred the amount as an initial investment and executed a letter of intent. The accused later claimed that advance payments had been made to various brands, providing transaction receipts as proof. However, independent verification revealed that no such payments were made and the receipts were forged. When confronted, the accused provided a written agreement to refund the total amount. While Rs.55 lakh was returned in installments, the remaining balance was never paid. To secure the outstanding debt, the accused allegedly issued cheques and offered a vehicle as collateral. However, the cheques were reportedly manipulated to prevent them from being honoured, and the accused eventually stopped responding to all communication. Following several failed repayment commitments, the investors approached the police. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 316(2), 318(2), 338(2), 338, 336(3), and 340(2) for cheating, criminal breach of trust, fraud, and criminal conspiracy, while further investigation is currently in progress. Police have registered a case of cheating against a Mohali resident for allegedly duping job aspirants of nearly Rs.4 lakh by promising them employment at Panjab University (PU). The accused has been identified as Sanjay Kumar Thakur, a resident of Phase 11, Mohali. Based on the complaint filed by Harwinder Singh, a resident of Raipur Kalan, Chandigarh, along with several other victims, a case has been registered under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Sector 11 Police Station. The complainants alleged that the accused collected a total of Rs.3,96,709 by falsely promising jobs at PU. But the promised employment never materialised, and the accused failed to refund the money. Police have launched a formal investigation....