Mira Road man poses as ‘CBI official’, dupes businessman of Rs 26 lakh; arrested

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A 43-year-old man from Thane district, on Wednesday, was arrested for allegedly posing as a Central Bureau of Investigation officer and siphoning off Rs 26 lakhs from a person, stated a PTI report.

The victim, a 51-year-old Mira Road resident, was a partner in a metal refining company in Palghar and his company was engaged in the purchase of scrapped batteries, recycling them extracting lead and selling the same in the market, Kashimira police station's senior inspector Sandeep Kadam was quoted as saying in the report.

Reportedly, the GST Commissioner's office had raised a query regarding a purchase of scrapped batteries which pointed out certain faults in the transactions in 2021-22 and issued notice to the firm. The victim was waiting for a clean chit after having submitted all the transaction documents.

However, the delay in the matter prompted him to enquire from his acquaintances who referred him to the accused who is also from Mira Road.

Posing as a CBI commissioner, the man offered help to the victim and allegedly took money from him on different occasions between August 2022 and April this year, stated the report. Promising good returns, he also took some money to invest like he had suggested to the businessman. The accused had also displayed a board on his car backing his claim to be a CBI officer, the FIR mentioned.

However, the 51-year-old Mira Road resident had neither received a clean chit in the GST matter nor did he get promised returns on the investments. According to the police, the accused gave evasive replies saying the money was invested in the gutka business which ran into losses.

The accused also blocked the victim's number when he began asking for him to return the money.

The aggrieved then filed a police complaint on Sunday against the fraudster and he was arrested the subsequent day and was booked under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 170 (personating a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.

Following his arrest, the accused was presented before a local court that remanded him in police custody till September 14 and the police is now conducting further probe. They are trying to find out if the accused has cheated more persons in a similar fashion.