Navi Mumbai: Three arrested for duping man of Rs 82,000 using ‘broken phone’ trick

The three men arrested frequently visited the Turbhe station area. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK

The APMC police arrested three men for duping a man of Rs 82,000 using a "broken phone" ruse near the APMC market in Turbhe. The incident took place around 11.25 am on October 25 in Sector 24, when the complainant was walking towards Turbhe railway station. Four unidentified men bumped into him, and one of them dropped his mobile phone to the ground. They then claimed its display had broken and demanded that the complainant pay for the damage.

[popcorn number="Oct 25" desc="Day the incident occurred" class="Default"]

Distracted and robbed

While the complainant was caught up in the argument, the men kept him distracted and deftly removed the cash from his bag. As soon as the complainant realised he had been duped, he registered a complaint at APMC police station under Sections 318(2) (cheating) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

(From left) The accused Yash Dhanraj Ingole, Pratik Haridas Samil, and Mayur Haridas Samil. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Based on the complaint, the APMC police station's detection branch, led by Assistant Police Inspectors Amit Shelar and Nilesh Patil, identified three men who frequent the area during the probe. Subsequently, Yash Dhanraj Ingole alias Doctor, 21; Pratik Haridas Samil alias Danny, 23; and Mayur Haridas Samil alias Nafya, 21 - all residents of Ghansoli village, Rabale - were taken into custody.

‘Probing links'

The operation was carried out under the guidance of DCP (Zone 1) Vijay Kharat, Assistant Commissioner of Police Adinath Budhwant, Senior Inspector Abasaheb Patil, and Inspector (Crime) Mahesh Mandve. The accused are being interrogated to establish if they are linked to other cases.

Stay alert!

The police have urged citizens to stay alert against strangers who distract them to commit fraud. Citizens are advised to keep their phones, cash and documents secure, avoid handing over money on the basis of a stranger's claims, and contact the police immediately if any suspicious situation arises.