Mira-Bhayandar: Less than 48 hours after they duped a jewellery showroom owner of Rs. 2 lakh in Bhayandar, both the con-artists landed into the custody of the crime branch unit (Zone I) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police on Tuesday.
The action followed in response to a complaint filed by the owner of Shree Ram Jewellers who received a call from a “woman” claiming to be a doctor of a nearby hospital and wanted to purchase gold bangles weighing around 40 grams.
How the woman was duped by accused
After agreeing to buy them for the estimated cost of Rs. 2.80 lakh, the woman asked the jeweller to bring Rs 2 lakh in the denomination of Rs. 500 as she needed change in the hospital and collect Rs 4 lakh and keep the remaining amount of Rs 2 lakh as advance payment.
When one of the employees of the jeweller showroom reached the hospital building with the cash, an unidentified person claiming to be a doctor tricked him into handing over Rs 2 lakh and asked him to go to the third floor to collect the cash and also to take the size for the gold bangles. The employee complied but was shocked to learn that no such doctor worked there. He rushed back to the first floor, but the man had disappeared from the spot, leaving the unsuspecting employee for a never-ending wait.
A team led by police inspector-Aviraj Kurhade immediately started investigations and nabbed the duo identified as-Manish Shashikant Ambekar (44) – a resident of Nallasopar and his accomplice-Anwar Ali Qadir Shaikh. Investigations revealed the involvement of the accused in 19 crimes committed using a similar modus operandi to dupe shopkeepers in Bhayandar, Mira Road, Palghar, Mumbai, Pune, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Kolhapur, Nashik, Vapi, Valsad and Surat. The police recovered cash amounting more than Rs 9,000 and three mobile phones from their possession. An offence under section 420 of the IPC has been registered at the Navghar against the duo who have been remanded to custody. Further investigations were underway.
