Navi Mumbai: Seven Arrested in Multi-District Crime Spree via Facebook Fraud Scheme
Navi Mumbai, 11th July 2024: The central unit of the crime branch has dismantled a gang comprising seven individuals involved in a series of inter-district crimes including kidnapping, fraud, and robbery, facilitated through Facebook’s ‘marketplace’. The gang’s modus operandi involved posting advertisements offering discounted prices on gold biscuits, arranging meetings with prospective buyers, and then executing their fraudulent scheme.
In one reported case from last month, Ravindra Ratanlal Chaudhary, a 50-year-old jewellery store owner, was allegedly swindled of Rs 13 lakh in cash after being promised a 200gm gold biscuit. Chaudhary was informed about the discounted offer by his friend Sunil Ingale, who claimed that sellers were providing a Rs 500 discount for every 10gm of gold purchased.
Chaudhary, accompanied by Ingale and another friend, Ratan Singh Rathod, decided to meet the seller on June 26 in Kharghar. During the meeting, Rathod, who was carrying the money, was abducted by gang members posing as policemen. According to his statement, Rathod was physically assaulted and robbed during this fake police raid.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Amit Kale revealed that Police Inspector Sunil Shinde, in charge of the central team, mobilized three investigative teams to pursue the case. They traced the motorcycle used in the crime to a finance company, which had repossessed it due to non-payment of a loan. Through the finance company’s records, the police identified Raj alias Mohammad Galib Shaikh, a 40-year-old resident of Kurla, who had purchased the bike. After his arrest, the remaining six members of the gang were apprehended: Vishal Tupe (21), Rohit Shelar (26), Nilesh Bange (26), Shivaji Chikane (36), Vishal Charge (36), and Diler Khan (46).
Investigations revealed that the gang had perpetrated similar offences in Govandi, Sanpada, Panvel, and Bhiwandi. The suspects have been remanded to the custody of Kharghar police until July 12 pending further legal proceedings.
