Mumbai Taxi Scam Case: Sahar Police Arrest Second Accused For Cheating American Tourist Of ₹18,000 For 400-Metre Ride Near Airport

Mumbai, Feb 05: The Sahar Police on Wednesday arrested the second accused, Taufiq Shaikh, 39, for allegedly defrauding an American national of Rs. 18,000 for a taxi ride of barely 400 metres. The Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court remanded him to police custody until February 6.

Accused arrested after returning from Uttar Pradesh

Manoj Chalake, Senior Police Inspector of Sahar Police Station, stated, “After allegedly committing the crime, Shaikh fled to Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested upon his return to Mumbai. We received information that he would alight at Dadar railway station, and based on this tip-off, we arrested him there.”

Earlier, the police on January 28 had arrested the first accused, Yashraj Yadav alias Pappu, 50, who is currently in judicial custody. Both accused are residents of Sahar Village and work as taxi drivers.

A police officer said that three similar cases had been registered against Shaikh in the past — two at Sahar Police Station and one at the Airport Police Station. In each case, his accomplice was different. However, no prior criminal record was found against Yadav.

Case surfaced after viral social media post

The case came to light after a social media post by the American national, Argentina Ariano, went viral. In her post, she alleged that she had been scammed by a taxi driver shortly after arriving in Mumbai. Nearly 15 days after the incident, on January 26, she shared the incident on social media.

In her post, she wrote: “Landed in Mumbai recently, took a taxi to the Hilton Hotel. The driver and another man first took us to an unknown location, charged us $200 (Rs. 18,000), and then dropped us at the hotel, which was only 400 metres away. Taxi No: MH 01 BD 5405.” She tagged Mumbai Police and Traffic Police and used the hashtag #scam.

Details of the alleged fraud

According to the police, Ariano had arrived in India for work. The incident occurred on January 12 at around midnight after she landed at Mumbai International Airport. She alleged that the taxi driver charged her Rs. 18,000 for a trip to a hotel located barely 400 metres away.

Yadav allegedly took her on a 20-minute drive around Andheri (East) before returning to the same locality, dropping her at the hotel and collecting the fare.

During interrogation, Yadav confessed that he, along with his accomplice Taufiq Shaikh, deliberately took a detour before dropping her at the wrong hotel. When she pointed out the mistake, they allegedly demanded $200 to take her to the correct hotel, which she paid.

A police officer said that Yadav allegedly negotiated the fare with the foreign national and then called Shaikh, who arrived with the car. Both allegedly cheated her.

Accused traced using OSINT tools

The Sahar Police traced the accused Yadav using an OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) investigation tool known for providing real-time data and accuracy. Yadav was arrested on January 28.

Using the OSINT platform, police traced the vehicle’s registration to Sharad Patil of SMS Taxi Cab Pvt. Ltd. Patil informed them that the cab had been assigned to another individual.

Meanwhile, officers showed photographs from the social media post to airport staff and drivers, leading to the identification of the suspect as Yadav. A proposal to cancel Yadav’s taxi permit is under consideration, police said.

Police register suo motu case

Manoj Chalake, Senior Police Inspector of Sahar Police Station, said, “We are trying to obtain the victim’s statement via video call or email. She did not inform the hotel staff about the incident. We have repeatedly advised people to inform hotel authorities or local police if they suspect that a cab driver is cheating them.”

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