Mumbai Fraud: BMC Contractor Loses ₹1.30 Crore In 'Antique Piece' Scam

The Goregaon Police have arrested a woman for duping a 73-year-old contractor associated with the BMC of Rs 1.30 crore. While the accused Nehal Rajeshbhai Dholakia alias Snehal Doshi is in custody, the police are searching for her other associates.

According to the police, the complainant, Vasant Shetty, a resident of Goregaon, received a call in January from a person who introduced himself as Babu Shaikh of Kolkata. Shaikh told Shetty that he has some antique pieces and wants to sell them for larger business as it would fetch him a good amount. He asked Shetty to invest in the business and earn good profit out of it. Shaikh asked Shetty to meet another person Arjun Sharma to get information about the antique business.

On April 28, Shetty received an email mentioning the price of the item as Rs 200 crore. It mentioned that if he pays 1 per cent of the total value of the item, he would be deposited 50 per cent amount within 20 days. Later, Shetty met Shaikh and his accomplices Doshi and Arjun at the Sahara Star Hotel in Vile Parle and the complainant was told to pay 1 per cent of the antique piece. In another mail, he was told to pay Rs 60 crore for item worth Rs500 crore. Shetty paid Rs1.30 in total and when the accused did not pick up his calls, he realised that he was duped and filed a complaint at Goregaon police station.