Pimpri-Chinchwad: A woman was allegedly cheated of Rs 23 lakh after being lured with the promise of setting up a pharmacy inside a hospital in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Police have registered a case against three individuals in connection with the alleged fraud.According to police officials, the incident took place between 22 April 2024 and 11 March 2026 at Ayushree Multi-Speciality Hospital and also involved dealings related to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) office in Moshi. The victim later approached the police and lodged a complaint, following which Pimpri police registered a case.Based on the complaint, Vilas Vasant Dange, a female accomplice, and advocate Govind Patil have been booked by Pimpri Police Station under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate. The accused have been charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 318 for cheating, Section 335 for making false documents, Section 336 for forgery, Section 340 for using forged documents as genuine, and Section 3(5) related to acts carried out with common intentionPolice stated that the main accused allegedly persuaded the woman to invest money in a pharmacy that was proposed to operate within the hospital premises and promised that the venture would generate good financial returns. Trusting the proposal, the victim invested ₹23 lakh in the business arrangement.However, the pharmacy business never started as promised. When the woman demanded the return of her money, the accused allegedly avoided repayment and failed to fulfil the agreement.Also Read: Pharma Firms Warn LPG Shortage Could Disrupt Life-Saving Drug ProductionInvestigators further revealed that the accused later forged the woman’s signature and prepared a fake notarised settlement deed. Using the fabricated document, they allegedly managed to cancel the victim’s medical licence.Police said the accused subsequently obtained a new licence in the name of a doctor’s wife and another pharmacist, allowing them to operate the pharmacy themselves.Following the complaint, police have registered a case of cheating and forgery and launched an investigation into the matter.According to a report by Free Press Journal, another fraud case from the same region involved a woman from Nigdi Pradhikaran who lost ₹27.72 lakh in an online investment scam between April 2024 and November 2025. The complaint in that case was filed by her husband at Ravet Police Station, where police booked a suspect identified as Alex Williams along with a person using a UK-based phone number under provisions of the Information Technology ActAlso Read: Rs 1 crore insurance scam at Gurugram hospital; 3 arrested