Pune: The Chatushrungi police have registered a case against six people for allegedly cheating a 58-year-old engineer of Rs 17.36 lakh by promising him retail and pharmacy franchises.The fraud allegedly occurred between July 2017 and now. The man, a resident of Bhosalenagar, approached the police on Thursday.According to the police, the complainant had been working as an engineer in the US since 2000 and had come to India in 2017 to start a business. He stated in his complaint that he reached out to the suspects after seeing an advertisement offering franchise opportunities.“The suspects told the complainant they’d help him secure a retail business franchise in western Pune and collected Rs 6.22 lakh from him through cheques and online transfers between Aug 2017 and Jan 2018,” a police officer said.That franchise opportunity never materialised, but the suspects then offered the complainant a pharmacy franchise comprising five or six stores. The officer said the complainant transferred Rs 11.14 lakh more, but in vain.The officer said the complainant had to return to the US and could not follow up with the suspects. Then the Covid-19 pandemic stymied his efforts. He lodged a complaint on returning to India this month, the officer said.