Lawyer conned of lakhs by his client

Jigar Mehta had also forged the crucial FCE licence

A few years ago, Malad resident Jigar Mehta hired city-based advocate Dheeraj Singh to fight some cheating and fraud related cases for him. The 45-year-old, while furnishing all the requisite documents, had introduced himself to Dheeraj as a businessman, who wanted to foray into the foreign currency exchange (FCE) sector.

Months of cajoling later, in October, Jigar finally managed to convince Dheeraj to invest in his FCE business. But, soon after the latter handed over the advance money, Jigar absconded. After a two month-long manhunt, the Malad police arrested Jigar on December 30.

Speaking to mid-day, Dheeraj said, "After he fled with the R10.5 lakh advance I gave him, I realised that all the documents he had shown me were fake. I had agreed to invest in this business after he promised me 50 per cent share in profits."

"The cops filed a case against Jigar under IPC sections 420, 468, 469, 471 for forgery, cheating and harming the reputation of individuals. They launched a manhunt and he was finally arrested from the outskirts of Mumbai," Dheeraj said.

According to cops, the arrest opened a can of worms as it was found that Jigar had cheated several other people in the last two years. The accused was produced before the court and has been remanded in police custody.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go