Malad Police arrested a father-son duo for allegedly cheating motorists on the pretext of fixing their cars after claiming there was a mechanical defect in their vehicle and offering help. The accused duo, identified as Arif Shaikh, 48, and his son, Faisal, 23, were arrested after a complainant approached police and reported the crime. Primary probe revealed that the duo has several past criminal cases registered against them.
According to police, on November 18, the complainant was stopped by an auto driver, who informed him that a smoke was emanating from the vehicle. After stopping the vehicle, the auto driver, who was later identified as Faisal, told the complainant there were sparks flying in the vehicle and stopped a man passing by, Arif, his father, who identified himself as a mechanic.
In a bid to cheat the complainant, Arif said that he could repair the issue on the spot for a mere fee of ₹8,000 and pretended to dial his employer to instil confidence in his authenticity. The complainant agreed to get his car fixed and the duo left after pretending to rectify the issue. Soon after the father-son duo left, the complainant realised his phone was missing and approached police.
During the probe, Malad Police showed a few images of repeat offenders and the complainant identified Arif and Faisal's photographs. Accordingly, a trap was laid and police intercepted the accused duo and arrested them. They were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating, common intention and produced in a local magistrate court, which remanded them in police custody for further probe.
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