Mumbai: In a sensational case, a wholesale mobile phone company based in Fort, Mumbai, has been defrauded of approximately ₹91 lakh. Mumbai Police have arrested Ibrahim Abdul Mubeen Ansari (34), a store manager, in connection with the case and secured his police custody until April 30.
According to the information received, the complainant, Imran Jamal Merchant (33), owns ‘Advanced Trends India Pvt. Ltd.,’ a mobile wholesale business in Fort. In July 2024, a man named Shahbaz Ali Shaikh contacted Merchant, promising to supply mobile phones through reputed retailers like Reliance Retail, Jio Mart, and Croma. Initially, small cash transactions were successfully completed, which helped build trust.
Subsequently, Shahbaz proposed a larger deal, offering to procure iPhone 16 (128GB) units from a company named Maple (Consolidated Pvt. Ltd., Powai). Trusting him, the complainant placed an order for 150 units and transferred ₹1,01,91,355 via RTGS to the company’s specified bank account. Before transferring the full amount, Merchant verified the account by first sending ₹100 to ensure it belonged to Maple.
However, despite full payment, the phones were never delivered. The accused kept giving excuses to delay the delivery. Investigations revealed that Shahbaz, along with Sanjay Pradhan, Devan Lalji Devda, and Ibrahim Ansari, the store manager at Maple, conspired to divert the goods to a firm named Alka Enterprises, thereby cheating the complainant. They allegedly presented a fake proforma invoice to deceive the victim.
The MRA Marg Police Station has registered an FIR against the accused under sections 316(2), 318(4), 336(3), 340(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. One agent is wanted in this case. According to investigators, Ansari executed the fraud with the assistance of Sanjay Pradhan. The police are now probing the involvement of other possible conspirators and have stated that there is a risk of evidence tampering, which was a ground for seeking Ansari’s police custody. The court has remanded him to police custody until April 30.
