False Act of Goodwill: Man Scams Dozens of Pizzerias, Places Large Fake Orders for Police

Amidst coronavirus outbreak, South Brunswick Police Department is now in search for a man calling for more than a dozen pizzerias and restaurants across the state, placing large orders and some of which he said are intended for the local police department, however he never picked them up and when employees call him back all they received were berates.

According to South Brunswick Police Department's released statement, the 34-year-old man Sudeep Khetani, whom they believed was living in the area of Orlando in Florida was charged with theft as investigators were also looking to see if the alleged crimes were bias in nature for they could possibly consider it also as cyber harassment.

Previously, Khetani was on probation after selling fake Disney World tickets as the Police Department confirmed as they work together with local detectives for the suspect's modus.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state of Florida in March, Pizzerias and restaurants in the vicinity have been donating food to the local police department and other local hospitals as an appreciation for the sacrifices done by their frontliners and they also received calls from residents in the area willing to pay for them to do so however despite the good act Khetani targeted the ones who showed kindness as police shared.

Using Goodwill as a Scam

Raymond Hayducka, Chief of the South Brunswick Police Department mentioned in a released statement that it is incomprehensible that a suspect would play on the goodwill of so many during these difficult times and he once placed an order saying it was coming to his Department (South Brunswick Police) and we have had several residents who send us foods, which he appreciates tremendously, but the suspect has gone to a new low.

According to the release, over the last month, each time Khetani called and placed a large order he intended to pick it up or that it was intended for the local police department.

But after ordering and placing the large orders, when the pizzeria employees called back the phone number who placed the large orders, Khetani would right away make statements about Italians and wished they would be afflicted with COVID-19 according to the authorities.

Authorities also shared that despite using a voice override service to mask his real phone number, South Brunswick Detective Tim Hoover and Ryan Tighe, Middlesex County Prosecutors Office Detective was able to track down all of his calls and unveil his true identity.

Moreover, information also on the released statement shows that because of Khetani's fraudulent phone calls, scamming restaurants located in Mercer, Somerset, and Middlesex counties, it resulted in a loss of several thousand dollars.

Police chief Hayducka also emphasized that all of our businesses are currently struggling in the middle of the crisis and every dollar matters, and he will not tolerate someone trying to take advantage of the community in these difficult days as he will pursue the strongest of possible charges and he will make sure that the scammed businesses will get their money back.

Tags

Scam, Goodwill, Coronavirus