61-year-old held for conning migrants wanting to leave city

Accused is caught on video taking money from labourers, to help them board free train service

The Tulinj police have arrested a 61-year-old real estate agent for cheating unsuspecting migrants, desperate to leave the city. The accused, identified as Satyanarayan Sharma, allegedly assured migrants that he'd put them on a train leaving for Uttar Pradesh, in return for a hefty sum. The police have been receiving complaints from various people about touts, who are brazenly demanding money from migrants, who want to reach their hometowns. Sharma has been caught on a mobile clip, while taking R6,000 from a migrant.

In the 6.44-minute-long clip, Sharma is heard telling the migrants to carry their Aadhar card. He also says they won't have to stand in a long queue, and that he'll be giving them a token, after which they will take a bus from Nalasopara to Vasai station, from where he will put them on the train. A migrant worker is then seen paying the agent R6,000 for two tickets.

A police officer privy to the investigation said that Sharma has been denying his role in the case. "He told us that he was falsely trapped in the case, and that he had returned the money to the migrants. He is suffering from diabetes and hypertension, so we have to be careful while interrogating him," said an officer, attached to the Tulinj Police. The police are currently investigating if Sharma is part of a gang, running a racket to con migrants.

Rs 6,000
The amount that the real estate agent was charging

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