Four, including two lawyers, cheat over 150 of Rs 3.75 cr in Mumbai

A gang of four, two of whom are lawyers, has been apprehended for allegedly defrauding over 150 people in Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar of Rs 3.75 crore by promising them bank-seized flats at a low cost. The MBVV police busted their ring on Tuesday, and the gang members were apprehended.

According to the police, the gang operated luxurious offices in various locations and with different names, and hired fresh graduate students to work as telecallers. They obtained information about potential buyers from websites that deal with buying and selling real estate. The telemarketers enticed buyers by offering low-cost properties.

The last office opened by the gang was named ‘Bidders Winners’ and was located in Virar. One of the buyers trapped by the gang was Piyushkumar Diwan, 58. The gang members identified themselves as Praveen Nanavre, Nitin Sharma, Rahul Bhat, and Alayda Shah and charged Diwan Rs 80 lakh for a flat seized by the bank. They closed the office and disappeared after taking the money. Diwan filed a complaint in this regard at Arnala police station on March 28, 2022.

MBVV’s Arnala police, Crime Branch Unit III under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Avinash Ambure and Unit III’s Senior Inspector Pramod Badhak worked on the case.

Interrogation of the accused revealed that they used the same method to defraud people in Mumbai and Thane districts. Their offices in Thane and Azad Maidan were named ‘Land Loader’ and ‘Patil Digital’ respectively.

The gang, like their businesses, went by different names. Rahul Bhat’s real name is Parvez Dastagir Shaikh, and he also goes by Peter Sikwera and Asif Sayyed. The 31-year-old lives on Mira Road.

Nitin Sharma’s full name is Saheb Husain Shaikh, and he has gone by the aliases Prashant Bansal and Sohel Shaikh. The 28-year-old is from Bhayandar. Hina Iqbal Chudesra is Alayada Shah’s real name, and she also goes by Hina Sayyed. She is a Kashimira resident.

“Parvez and Saheb were the masterminds of the racket. Saheb continued to practise law at various courts in the city. Hina, who is in a relationship with Parvez, is a graduate and speaks fluent English. She used to act as a manager at the offices,” said an officer privy to the investigation.

One case each has been registered against the gang at three police stations — Arnala under MBVV police, Azad Maidan under Mumbai police, and Chitalsar Manpada under Thane police. The accused have been booked for cheating and forgery.

“We arrested the accused on Tuesday and handed them for further investigation to the Arnala police,” said senior inspector Pramod Badhak of Crime Branch Unit III.