The Malad police have arrested a 32-year-old woman for allegedly cheating a couple and their friends of Rs 35 lakh of the Rs 59 lakh that she had collected by promising them seven to eight per cent monthly returns on their investment in her business. The arrested woman, Soumya Rakesh Bharadwaj, was taken into custody two months after the FIR was registered by a 34-year-old woman, who resides in Chincholi Bandar, Malad West.

According to police sources, the victim met Bharadwaj through her husband's friend. Her husband’s friend had introduced Bharadwaj as his fiancée in 2023. The two women became friends, and Bharadwaj allegedly lured the couple into investing in her garment and supermarket business, promising them a monthly return of seven to eight per cent on their investment.