Thiruvananthapuram : A budding entrepreneur from Vattiyoorkavu incurred a loss of Rs 10 lakh after a building owner allegedly cheated her by renting out a shop near Nettayam without a valid shop number. The shop number given to Raji R, 37, of Karakulam belonged to a different shop and she was unable to obtain a licence from the city corporation. As a result, Raji lost the money she had spent on interior works and business promotions.
To add to her woes, she has now been served with a notice by the city corporation asking her to close the shop within 15 days in the absence of a valid licence to operate. Vattiyoorkavu police have registered a case against Nettayam natives Shanoj, his brother Shamnas and mother Isha Shamsudeen for cheating and forgery. The woman rented the shop in Dec last year by paying an advance of Rs 1 lakh.
She also agreed to pay Rs 10,000 per month as rent. She was given a tax receipt and using this she applied for a licence. “After some days, I was informed by the concerned officials that a shop licence already exists in the building number.
When I enquired about this to the shop owner, he informed me that there is no specific building number for the shop and the number given was that of a shop adjacent to it. It was also learned that the building owner separated a big hall into four shops and using the number of the hall another shop owner obtained a licence to operate a shop,” Raji said. Officials of the health wing of corporation said the building .