Mumbai: In a chilling tale of deception that preyed on the kindness of hurried travellers, Mumbai Airport Police have cracked a sophisticated nationwide scam. The mastermind? A 25- year-old BBA graduate who transformed airport terminals into his personal hunting ground.
Modela Vyankta, a resident of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, was arrested on May 28 after allegedly posing as a distressed engineering student from VNIT Nagpur. His modus operandi was deceptively simple yet emotionally manipulative: approaching passengers at arrival gates, spinning a heartbreaking story of a lost flight ticket and empty pockets, then requesting urgent financial help.
In one documented case from March, a passenger at Terminal 1’s arrival gate was moved by Vyankta’s emotional plea and transferred ₹16,000 via QR code. When the victim later tried to recover the money, he was promptly blocked. Realizing he had been scammed, the complainant approached the Airport Police.
What followed was a meticulous investigation led by Senior Police Inspector Suhas Chavan, with Assistant Police Inspectors Vaibhav Patil and Sunil Khaire. Police analyzed CCTV footage, traced the linked mobile number (registered in someone else’s name), and used technical surveillance to track the accused across states. Despite his evasive tactics—frequently changing locations and switching off his phones—investigators discovered he had recently visited Nagpur, Bhopal, Lucknow, Varanasi, and Hyderabad.
Acting on precise intelligence that he would return to Mumbai, officers laid a trap at Terminals 1 and 2. Vyankta was finally detained at Terminal 2.
A search of the accused yielded damning evidence: three mobile phones, six SIM cards, three fake Aadhaar cards, a counterfeit college ID, and â‚ą19,600 in cash. Further probes revealed at least nine similar cases registered against him since 2020 across cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Jaipur, Coonoor, and Mumbai. Authorities suspect many more victims never reported the fraud, often too rushed to pursue complaints.
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