Complaint to police for cheating, impersonation, advance fee fraud, or criminal breach of trust.
Police station where offence occurred or accused resides.
File FIR as soon as possible.
This coverage is provided by a practicing advocate. Specific sections cited depend on the facts you provide during drafting.
A cheating/fraud police complaint is a formal written complaint filed with the police reporting that someone has cheated you by dishonest inducement — obtaining money, property, or consent by deceit, misrepresentation, or fraud. This is one of the most commonly filed criminal complaints in India and covers a wide range of frauds including property fraud, investment scams, matrimonial fraud, contractor fraud, and advance-fee scams.
File this complaint when someone induced you to pay money or transfer property by making false representations — a builder who took booking money for a project that never started, an agent who collected fees and vanished, a person who sold the same property to multiple buyers, or someone who impersonated a government official to extort money. The complaint should be filed at the police station having jurisdiction over where the offence was committed.
Section 415 IPC defines cheating as dishonestly inducing a person to deliver property or to do/omit an act. Section 420 IPC penalises cheating with imprisonment up to 7 years and fine — it is a cognizable, non-bailable offence. Section 406 IPC (criminal breach of trust — up to 3 years). Section 467/468/471 IPC (forgery). For cheating involving more than one person or systematic fraud, Section 120B IPC (criminal conspiracy) may also apply.
Not filing a police complaint allows the fraudster to operate freely and victimise others. If police refuse to register your FIR (First Information Report), you can file a complaint with the Superintendent of Police, approach the Magistrate under Section 156(3) CrPC directing the police to register the FIR, or file a private complaint before the Magistrate under Section 200 CrPC.
Both terms are used interchangeably in common usage. Under IPC, 'cheating' (Section 415–420) is the formal legal term covering dishonest inducement. 'Fraud' is not a separately defined IPC offence — acts of fraud are typically charged under cheating, forgery, or criminal breach of trust provisions.
Yes. If you gave money based on false representations or inducement, it is cheating even if you transferred money voluntarily. The key element is that the other party made you believe something false, causing you to act in a way that resulted in financial loss.
You can (1) send a written complaint to the Superintendent of Police, (2) approach the Magistrate under Section 156(3) CrPC for directions to police, (3) file a private complaint under Section 200 CrPC directly before the Magistrate, or (4) approach the High Court for a direction to police.
Not all business disputes are cheating. The Supreme Court has clarified that a simple breach of contract, where there was no dishonest intent from the beginning, is not cheating. For a cheating charge, it must be shown that the accused had fraudulent intent at the time of entering into the transaction.
Section 420 IPC is a cognizable, non-bailable offence. This means police can arrest without a warrant, and bail must be granted by the court (not the police station). The accused can apply for anticipatory bail to the Sessions Court or High Court.
You can file against both the company and its responsible officers (directors, managers). Under Section 141 IPC provisions and court precedents, companies can be held criminally liable for cheating, and their directors/officers can be individually prosecuted.
Written agreements, receipts, bank transaction records, emails and WhatsApp messages showing the false representations, any advertisements or brochures used to induce you, witness statements, and any forged documents used by the accused.
Yes. A civil suit for recovery of money and a criminal complaint can be pursued simultaneously. Courts allow parallel proceedings. The civil suit can result in a money decree even if the criminal case takes longer.
Please confirm all of the following before proceeding with your Cheating / S.420 document:
Please confirm all eligibility conditions above to proceed. If you are unsure about any point, you may not be eligible for this type of notice.