Thane: A 42-year-old man, Mohammed Shafique Mohammed Hanif Khan, was arrested in Mumbai for allegedly defrauding seven individuals of Rs 35.90 lakh with false job promises in New Zealand and Azerbaijan. According to reports, Khan operated a job consultancy in Agripada, where he provided victims with fake visas, flight tickets, and appointment letters.
Victims became suspicious when the legitimacy of the documents was questioned. Previously, Khan had also duped several aspirants out of Rs 80 lakh by offering overseas job and visa arrangements for the USA and New Zealand, employing similar tactics, including the issuance of fake documents according to a report by Times Of India. Most of the victims were reportedly from Gujarat.
He was arrested from his home in Mira Road after Ishwar Prajapati, a commission agent, filed a complaint. The scam surfaced when several of Prajapati's clients received counterfeit travel documents and alerted him. Police are also searching for Khan's accomplice, Zarina, who managed another office in Mira Road. The investigation, which identified multiple charges including cheating and forgery, was initiated based on complaints, prompting the case to be transferred to the crime branch for further inquiry.
Similar Incident
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Mumbai has arrested two individuals for their involvement in a cybercrime involving an amount of Rs. 3.81 crores received in a mule account in a single day. Sudhir Palande, a mule account holder, and Yash Thakur, a middleman, were arrested. The CBI Mumbai registered a case against a mule account holder, unknown cyber fraudsters, bank officials, and others for committing a cybercrime.
The investigation revealed the conspiracy of opening the account without proper KYC norms or customer due diligence. The CBI seized several incriminating documents and digital evidences during searches. The CBI identified individuals involved in opening the account in Mumbai, facilitated the account holder's stay in Nagpur, and transferred funds to other mule accounts through agents from Nagpur.
