The BKC police busted a cheating gang and arrested three accused after a dramatic, film-style chase. The gang took Rs2 lakh from a 19-year-old tour operator from Thane, staged a fake police raid, took the money, and fled without handing over the gold.
The complainant, Irfan Patel, came across an Instagram account named official-goldimporter in February, which claimed to sell imported gold at cheaper rates. He contacted the number listed, and in May, met one of the accused, Ravi, who showed him gold coins and documents.
They struck a deal for four tolas of gold worth Rs4 lakh. Patel was asked to bring Rs2 lakh in cash to a BMW showroom at CST Road, Kalina, on May 27. At the location, an unidentified man collected the cash, claiming it was sent by Ravi. As soon as the money changed hands, the man jumped into a waiting car and fled.
When Patel called Ravi, he was told that a police raid had interrupted the transaction, and the gold would be delivered later. But Ravi became evasive, prompting Patel to file a complaint with the police on May 30.
During the probe, police received a tip-off that the accused would return to the same area on June 2. A trap was laid, and around 4pm, the suspects arrived. Sensing surveillance, one of them fled towards Kurla Road and into a parked car. He later abandoned it and tried to escape with others on foot. Police chased them and arrested three, while one managed to flee.
The arrested accused are Mohammad Chaudhary, 33, Tajbez Qureshi, 39, and Pradip Thorat, 37 – all history-sheeters with multiple cheating cases in Maharashtra and Gujarat. They were remanded in police custody till June 5.
A police officer said, “The gang has defrauded several people in similar scams and has multiple cases registered against them.”
