Man poses as MLA, cons people into donating for 'charity'

The DB Marg police on Saturday arrested a man for impersonating BJP MLA from Mulund, Sardar Tara Singh, and embezzling wealthy Sikhs in the city by asking them to extend monetary help to non-existent patients.

The police suspect the swindler called up several prominent Sikhs, including Mumbai ex-sheriff Kulwant Singh Kohli, to con them.

According to cops, the caller would say, "I am Sardar Tara Singh and a cancer patient has approached me for help. I am giving him financial aid. You may also give him Rs 1 lakh to help him out. Please send the money with somebody to Mumbai Central station as the patient is leaving tomorrow for another city."

Former sheriff Kohli, who is managing director of Pritam Hotel in Dadar, Tani Seth, owner of Sher-e-Punjab hotel in Fort, and members of Sri Guru Singh Sabha Darbar in Dadar were some of the people who got calls from the impostor, the MLA's son said.

‘It wasn't me'
The case came to light after a tyre trader from Lamington Road got a call from the accused. Taken in with his talk, he sent Rs 21,000 with someone to the "patient" and later called up the real MLA to tell him he had sent the cash. But Tara Singh told him he had never requested anyone for any money. He added that an impostor had been duping Sikhs in his name, faking his voice. The businessman then lodged a police complaint.

"From the complainant's call records, we managed to get the phone record of the accused and arrested him. He has been identified as Dhanveer Singh Sohan Singh Khuranna, a 62-year-old resident of Kanpur," said a police officer from D B Marg police station.

"We are also searching for his partner-in-crime, who goes by the name of Rakesh," said the officer.

The MLA's son Sardar Rajneet said, "After receiving complaints from some people of our community, my father personally lodged a complaint at the Bhandup police station against the impersonator who had been asking for money in his name. The accused even took SIM cards in the same name and when we searched for his number on Truecaller (a phone app that reveals details of the caller), the name that came up was Sardar Tara Singh."

Fake caller
>> Former sheriff Kulwant Singh Kohli, managing director of Pritam Hotel in Dadar, Tani Seth, owner of Sher-e-Punjab hotel in Fort, and members of Sri Guru Singh Sabha Darbar in Dadar were some of the people who got calls from the impostor.

>> From the call records, the D B Marg police station managed to trace the accused, and arrested him. The accused has been identified as Dhanveer Singh Sohan Singh Khuranna, a 62-year-old resident of Kanpur.u00a0