Maharashtra crime: Four Bangladeshi nationals arrested for deceptive currency exchange scam in Virar

The MBVV unit 3 crime branch team with accused and recovered property. Pic/Police sources

Maharashtra crime: The Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar Police (MBVV) Police on Wednesday said that its crime branch unit 3 was successful in nabbing four people including two women who were alleged part of a gang using a unique modus operandi to trick people in connection with a deceptive currency exchange scam.

According to the police, the officials of the crime branch unit 3 led by Inspector Pramod Badak have arrested four individuals, including Bangladeshi nationals, in connection with a deceptive currency exchange scam that recently defrauded a 64-year-old man of Rs 4 lakh.

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The police said, the incident, which occurred on October 4 near Dutt Mandir in Virar west area, involved the accused gaining the trust of the victim and cleverly bundling paper notes of deceptive size in a white handkerchief, tricking the victim into believing he was receiving genuine currency.

On the complaint of the victim, a case was initially registered at Virar police station under sections 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The crime branch unit 3 had been conducting a parallel investigation in the matter and senior police officials were guiding the team to detect the case and nab the suspects, a police official said.

The unit 3 of the MBVV crime branch identified the suspects and finally zeroed in on the culprits who were identified as Akhtar Chaudhary, 55, Sagar Haldar, 45,
Tahuran Shaikh, 52 and Fatima Shaikh, 27. The suspects were nabbed and after thorough investigations they were placed under arrest, the official said.

He added, their modus operandi included first selecting a target and then approaching him with an offer and lure with huge international currencies including UAE Dhirams and US Dollars and then taking cash from the victim and handing him over a bundle of papers instead of cash.

The police said, in the course of the investigation, the police seized Rs. 1,41,500 in cash, United Arab Emirates currency (Foreign Currency), and a mobile phone. It was discovered that the accused, a Bangladeshi citizen, was allegedly residing in India illegally.

Preliminary findings suggest that the accused had previously defrauded another individual of one lakh rupees using a similar deceptive currency exchange scheme.

The accused have been handed over to Virar Police for further legal action, the official said.