The Nizampura police have booked seven individuals for allegedly duping over 1,000 women by promising them rations for a year in exchange for a payment of Rs 500. Three accused have been arrested, while four women remain at large after a complaint was filed.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Faisal Manjur Ahmad Shaikh, Ali Sajjad Jafari, and Mohammad Afaan Akbar Ali Ansari. The absconding accused are Shabnam Shaikh, Shabora Mariyam, Shaheen, and Raheela.
The incident occurred at an office located at Vanjarpatti Naka in Bhiwandi between November 4 and November 29.
According to the police, the accused duped 1,000 to 1,200 women by collecting Rs 500 from each person, promising to provide them with rations for a year. They reportedly cheated the victims out of Rs 5 to 6 lakh in total.
The accused had set up an office at Vanjarpatti Naka in Bhiwandi and hired staff. They distributed pamphlets in slum areas, promoting the fraudulent scheme. Many victims paid Rs 500, believing they would receive rations for a year as promised.
The fraud came to light when the accused failed to deliver rations to the scheme participants at the end of the month. When the victims visited the office, they were told to return the next day. Realizing they had been cheated, the victims approached the police to file a complaint.
One of the victims stated that the accused had promised to refund the money if rations were not provided. The accused had also taken Aadhaar cards and photographs from the victims as part of the scheme.
Based on the complaints, police raided the accused’s office. During preliminary inquiries, three accused were detained and brought to the police station for further investigation. A case was subsequently lodged against them.
Senior Police Inspector Santosh Avhad of Nizampura Police Station said, “We arrested three individuals and recovered Rs 5.77 lakh from them. A team has been formed to apprehend the four absconding women. The arrested accused were produced in court and have been remanded into police custody for further investigation. It is possible that the number of victims may increase.”
The case was filed at Nizampura police station by Ayesha Ansari under Section 318(4) (Punishment for cheating) and Section 316(2) (Punishment for criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
