Mumbai Crime News: Duo Posing As Well-Wishers Held For Duping Elderly Women; Gold Worth Over ₹6 Lakh Recovered

Mumbai: The Dadar police have arrested two individuals accused of deceiving and robbing elderly women by posing as government officials or well-wishers. The accused, identified as Shaheedabi alias Salma Firoz Khan Pathan (37), a resident of Gujarat, and Hawai Singh alias Happy Singh Madhansingh Shekhawat (34), a resident of Rajasthan, were apprehended from Rajasthan after an intensive investigation.

Their arrest comes following a complaint filed by 80-year-old Chandrabai Janu Anjarlikar, a resident of Prabhadevi, who was cheated on January 8, 2025. According to police, Shaheedabi approached the senior citizen near the fish market in Prabhadevi Khada, pretending to know her son and claiming he needed money, as reported by Midday.

According to the report, after gaining the woman's trust, she took her in a taxi under the pretext of going to a bank and persuaded her to hand over her gold ornaments for “safekeeping.” She then fled after dropping her near the Pydhonie area.

Police recovered stolen gold ornaments worth Rs 6.78 lakh from them. Initially, the complaint was lodged at the Pydhonie police station but was later transferred to the Dadar police due to jurisdictional reasons. The Dadar police registered a case under the relevant sections of the BNS and began a thorough investigation.

A team led by API Bhagwan Paighan, API Ramakrishna Sagade, and PSI Rajesh Jadhav, with constables Ashwini Natekar, Manoj Sutar, Sagar Nikam, Manish More, and Pandurang Gotmare, was formed.

“Technical surveillance of mobile numbers and analysis of CCTV footage led us to identify Shaheedabi as the main accused,” said a senior police officer, as reported. Investigations revealed that Hawai Singh, who had rented a vehicle, was also involved in several thefts. The duo has committed over six such crimes in Mumbai and has prior cases in multiple states. Both are currently in custody as further investigations continue.