Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has issued a fraud alert on its website asking people not to fall prey to a fraudster who has skipped bail conditions and resumed operations to dupe people in the name of the company.
“Our attention has been drawn to the fact that certain persons masquerading as officials of Reliance Industries Ltd or our Group Companies are making business proposals to companies and individuals in several countries using fake email IDs ending with ‘@ril.vc’,” RIL said in the alert on its website.
“These business proposals are in respect of raising funds, proposed mergers and acquisitions and jobs at higher management level,” it said.
“These proposals are completely fraudulent and have nothing whatsoever to do with us. Some of the fake email IDs fraudulently used to make these proposals are the following: s.venkatachari@ril.vc; navin.wadhwani@ril.vc; manish.pradhan@ril.vc; neel.thakker@ril.vc; rohit.gupta@ril.vc and ateesh.sharma@ril.vc” it added.
The company said its officers’ signatures had been forged on several letters and agreements.
“Reliance Industries Ltd and Reliance Group of Companies only use email IDs ending with “@ril.com”. Email ID ending with “@ril.vc” is never used by us or our Group of Companies,” the alert said.
The company had filed a criminal complaint on September 23, 2019 against one Ravi Navlani who was found to be using fake email IDs ending with “@ril.vc”. A resident of Indore, he was arrested that day by the Mumbai police and was released on bail on October 3, 2020.
Though criminal proceedings are continuing, the accused has again resumed his nefarious activity and is believed to have fled India. Till recently, he was traced in Russia and now changed base, according to people familiar with this case.
RIL had lodged criminal complaints with Mumbai police (Cyber Cell) on April 14, 2020 and April 23, 2020 when it noticed further use of fake email IDs to address communications to companies and individuals purporting to represent that these are from Reliance Industries Ltd or our Group Companies.
Investigation by the Cyber Cell of the Mumbai police is in progress.
“Please do not enter into any correspondence or transactions of any nature whatsoever on the basis of a communication received by you from any email ID except @ril.com,” RIL said adding, “ Such correspondence or transaction will not bind us or our Group Companies in any manner whatsoever.”
The company has urged general public to notify its Head – Fraud & Misconduct Investigations at recruitment.fraud@ril.com in case they receive any communication purporting to be from RIL or the group.