In a shocking case of fraud that has sent ripples through the agricultural community of Dakshina Kannada, a well-known areca nut trader from Bantwal taluk has allegedly cheated more than 50 farmers of over Rs 10 crore and absconded with his family. The incident has come as a blow to local farmers who trusted the trader for years and depended on his business for timely payments of their agricultural produce.
The accused, identified as Naufal Mohammed, a resident of Maindal in Navur village, had been operating a shop named “AB Supari” in Baddakatte, Bantwal, for nearly three decades. During this period, he had established strong ties with hundreds of farmers, buying their areca nut and black pepper on credit and paying them a few days later. The entire business operated on mutual trust, without formal contracts—farmers would receive a “white slip” as a token of sale, which served as the only proof of transaction.
However, the trust that had been built over the years was shattered on the night of June 9, 2025, when several farmers received WhatsApp messages from Naufal stating that he had incurred severe business losses and would repay their dues in instalments. Sensing something unusual, the farmers rushed to his shop and residence the next morning, only to find both locked. His mobile phone was switched off, confirming their worst fears—that he had fled the town.
Following the incident, a group of over 50 distressed farmers gathered at the Bantwal City Police Station on June 10 to file a complaint against Naufal. Some farmers also initially approached the Bantwal Rural Police Station, which falls under the jurisdiction of Naufal’s residence. However, the complaint was formally registered at the city police station.
The main complainant, Praveen D’Souza (45), a farmer from Navur village, revealed that he had sold 6.5 quintals of areca nut to Naufal on March 8, 2025, and was supposed to receive Rs 3.5 lakh in return. When he learned that Naufal had gone missing, he alerted the other farmers. Soon, a total of 25 farmers, including D’Souza, filed a joint complaint stating that they were collectively cheated out of Rs 94.77 lakh. However, officials believe that the total number of cheated farmers exceeds 50, and the overall fraud amount could surpass Rs 10 crore, as many victims are yet to file formal complaints.
According to the complaint, Naufal had adopted a pricing strategy where he encouraged farmers to hand over their dry, peeled areca nuts and delay the final sale price calculation until market prices increased. In return, he would pay them a better price than what they could get immediately from other buyers. This delayed payment method, although risky, had won over many farmers. In some cases, farmers would even entrust him with money for safekeeping, further demonstrating the level of trust he had gained.
However, this year, many of these farmers planned to use the payment from Naufal to repay agricultural loans taken from cooperative societies and banks, which were usually due in June. The timing of the fraud has, therefore, caused not only financial distress but also emotional trauma for several families. One woman who had delivered her areca nut produce to Naufal approached him last week seeking her payment to clear a cooperative loan. Her inquiries revealed that he had disappeared, which quickly led to wider awareness of the fraud.
A case has been registered at the Bantwal City Police Station under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (fraud) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS-2023). The case number is A.K. 64/2025. Police have launched a manhunt to locate Naufal, and efforts are underway to determine whether he has fled the state or is hiding locally.
Inspector Anil Kumar of Bantwal City Police Station confirmed that investigation teams are actively tracking digital footprints and reaching out to contacts who may have clues about the whereabouts of Naufal and his family. “We are taking this case very seriously, and we request all affected individuals to come forward with their complaints so we can estimate the full extent of the fraud,” he said.
