Mumbai Crime: Gang that played game of loans busted, 1 held

Khushi Rathod, Sohail Bagdadi, Firoz Khan and Vijay Medithi

One member of a gang that cheated people with ‘irresistible' business deals and finance companies over loans using forged papers has been arrested. While the Malad police have taken the custody of one more jailed member, they are looking for two others.

Following a three-year-old case, the cops arrested one accused, Vijay Medithi, from Manish Nagar in Andheri on Monday. The police said Medithi and his accomplices had duped a 24-year-old Malad resident and his female friend of Rs 33 lakh on the pretext of giving them one-third partnership in a hotel that never belonged to them.

Complainant Naushad Shaikh, who used to work at an Andheri-based furniture company, is friends with Sonal Ghogari for the past 4 years and would often visit her home.

"In 2017, when I once visited Sonal's home, I had met the accused who were talking to her about selling 33 per cent stake in Wood Stock hotel near RTO Andheri West. They said one of the co-owners was parting ways and they were looking for a new partner who could invest Rs 35 lakh," said Shaikh.

Sonal agreed to the deal and gave them Rs 3 lakh. For the rest, the accused said they had good contacts with banks and could arrange a loan for her.

Shaikh said the accused later said the loan was not getting sanctioned. They asked him to avail the loan. "I told them that I have already taken a big loan, but they assured me that it won't be a problem.

They also took me into confidence saying the EMI could be paid from the hotel's income," said Shaikh. The victim paid the accused R4 lakh cash and transferred the loan amount of Rs 27 lakh once it was disbursed to him.

The accused initially gave excuses for the delay in handing over the one-third ownership but then went incommunicado. Shaikh and Sonam then learnt that the hotel is owned by someone else. Shaikh lodged a complaint with the Malad police in 2018.

Seasoned con men
The police said the accused are seasoned con men and face many cases. They have also cheated finance companies over loans.

In 2019, Medithi got a Rs 29 lakh loan for a flat in Four Bungalows, Andheri, by identifying himself as Peter Martis, the true owner. The fraud had been reported to the DN Nagar police.

Because of the fraudsters, 15 members of Ritu Paradise in Mira Road had been asked to vacate their flat for not ‘repaying' loans.

The Malad police have also taken the custody of second accused Firoz Khan, who was arrested by LT Marg police in a similar case last year and was in jail. They are on the lookout for two others, identified as Khushi Rathod and Sohail Bagdadi.

"It is important that all the accused are arrested. If they stay outside then other people like us can also become their victims," said Shaikh.

"All are habitual criminals and have cases against them in DN Nagar, Oshiwara, Mira Road, LT Marg and Malad police stations. We are searching for the other two," said senior inspector Dhananjay Ligade of Malad police station.

2018
Year when Naushad had lodged a complaint