Gang promised foreign currency at much lower than exchange rate and would hand over paper bundle during final deal
Auto driver, who is ferrying a woman in the Powai area, notices that she is crying. He asks her what’s wrong
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The Powai police have arrested six members of a gang who lured victims with Saudi Riyals, telling them they could have the currency for a price much lower than their actual value and then handing them pieces of paper during the deal. The police suspect there could be around 20 people involved in this con.
She tells him her family has returned from Saudi Arabia and has lakhs of riyals but no Indian currency
The modus
Around mid September, one of the victims, an auto rickshaw driver, who was ferrying a woman inside Powai noticed she was crying. The woman told him that her husband was working in Saudi Arabia and had been earning well but had got addicted to liquor causing him to lose his job. She said they had returned to India a few days ago and had very little Indian money, yet had lakhs of riyals. She said she was in dire need of Indian currency. She took out some riyals saying they were worth more than Rs 700 but she could give them to him for just Rs200. The driver went home and told his brother, who works in currency exchange. The brother told him to contact the woman for the rest of the riyals.
She offers to give the lot to him for one third their actual rate. She hands him a cloth bundle in return for R4 lakh
Pieces of paper
Accordingly, the driver and the woman were to meet at a Powai hotel a few days later, where he said he would bring Rs4 lakh for the rest of the riyals. At the hotel, the woman handed the driver a cloth bundle and took the cash. When the driver tried to open the bundle, the woman told him the police had got a tip-off that she was carrying foreign currency and if he was seen with it he could land in trouble. When he returned home and opened the bundle he found only pieces of paper.
On going home, he finds only plain paper in the bundle. He goes to the police, who arrest six accused
The hunt
When he approached the Powai police, they started tracing the woman’s number which had been switched off. Finally, on October 1, it was switched on and traced to Mumbra. Informers then told the police that woman was part of a gang who lives in shanties across diva. Yesterday, the police arrested six people – Juned alias Godu Shah (28), Shahid Kazi (35), Ripan Fakir (25), Alam Sharif (35), who led police on a 2km chase across a muddy field, Ubedul Khan (23) and Liyaqat ali (32). Police inspector (Crime) Angha Satwase said, "We are still looking for the woman gang member."
Police sub-inspector Salim Mujwar said, "We have got the name of the mastermind. This gang has been conning people across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. There may be more cases as victims fear approaching the police because illegal money transactions are involved. A case has been registered."
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