Mumbai: City police, probing the cheating of a south Mumbai businessman who wanted to buy oxygen concentrators, have stumbled upon a bigger racket. Investigators say this is the first time they have come across a case where at least three couples were part of a “cheating syndicate”. The couples are residents of Ghaziabad and New Delhi.
The Mumbai businessman, who had ordered oxygen concentrators, was allegedly cheated of Rs 2 lakh by a New Delhi man.
D B Marg police registered an FIR in May after the Grant Road resident told police he spoke to a friend from New Delhi about concentrators. His friend said he had ordered one over the phone from “an Andheri firm” and shared its contact details. The victim ordered 20, each priced around Rs 50,000, and the deal was finalized for Rs 9.6 lakh. The caller gave a Delhi bank account number and asked the victim to deposit Rs 2 lakh into it online. The businessman and friend did not get delivery though.
When the police reached the firm’s Andheri address, they found it did not exist.
A team led by inspector Raja Bidkar and PSI Pradip Patil of DB Marg police started a probe into the fraud case. “We first collected the mobile number of the person who had called up the victim and the bank account details where the victim had transferred money to buy oxygen concentrators. We found the bank account was in the name of one Rekha Agarwal, a Gaziabad resident. Our team landed at Rekha’s residence and began questioning her. We learnt of the role of her husband, Nitish, as well. Nitish is currently in a Faridabad jail for a similar fraud,” said an investigating officer. He added Rekha’s bank account was used to get money from the victims.
Police recovered Rs 1.5 lakh from Rekha and issued her a notice, asking her to meet cops in Mumbai. “Over Rs 25 lakh was deposited in Rekha’s account in May,” said an investigator.
During the probe, investigators found Nitish had first met another wanted accused, Rohtash, in a Delhi jail. After the duo got bail, Rohtash told Nitish he had a team of trusted persons who would call up those keen on buying concentrators and cylinders. He took Rekha’s bank account details from Nitish.
“The Agarwals would get 20-30% for allowing use of their account. One of Rohtash’s associates, Vijay Malik, too had opened several accounts,” said an investigator. Rohtash’s calling team comprised Delhi’s Chandrashekhar alias AK, his wife Charu, AK’s brother-in-law Lavesh and wife Sakshi. AK and Charu are in Faridabad jail now in a cheating case while Lavesh and Sakshi are on the run, said cops.
