41-year-old held for stealing phones; Mumbai cops say he committed crime to fund expenses of two wives

The Malad Police arrested a 41yearold man who turned to fraud to manage the expenses of his two wives Facing financial difficulties the accused devised a scheme to lure young job seekers with fake promises of parttime jobs Once the complainants met him to discuss the job he would flee with their mobile phonesAfter months of investigation the police apprehended the accused and recovered 18 stolen mobile phones from himAccording to the Malad Police the accused confessed that he committed the crime due to financial struggles which arose from having to support two householdsA case has been registered against the accused Mohammed Kasim Shaikh alias Atif and further investigations are ongoing to determine if he has duped more peopleAccording to police sources the Mumbra resident had married for the second time around seven years ago He had one son from each of his marriagesBoth his wives live separately in two different houses which he has taken on rent in different areas of MumbraShaikh initially operated a small clothing business but struggled to earn enough from it To supplement his income he worked as a parttime food delivery executive However after his second marriage the growing expenses of supporting two households became overwhelming for him Desperate to meet the financial demands he turned to fraud the police saidPolice recovered 18 phones from the accused PicSamiullah KhanThe accused would approach students and young people looking for jobs by roaming across various areas around Mumbra He would particularly target those carrying expensive mobile phones the police said Shaikh would befriend them and offer enticing job opportunities claiming that they could earn between Rs 500 and Rs 1000 for just an hour of work His scheme involved luring victims to posh areas and promising them tasks such as loading and unloading clothes for branded companiesOnce he gained their trust he would arrange to meet them outside reputed clothing stores and under the pretense of discussing job details flee with their mobile phonesHe has deceived four individuals in Malad alone He has carried out similar crimes in Bandra Colaba Marine Drive Khar and various locations within the Thane district He used to cover his rent and other expenses by selling the phones he stole from the complainants said an officerThe Malad Police who were on the lookout for Shaikh came to know about the accused from the police station where he had been arrested before Once they confirmed that the description shared by the complainant matched with their suspect the cops checked the call data record CDR of the accused Malad Police personnel had been roaming around various clothing markets for months in a bid to nab Shaikh On Thursday he was arrested from Lokhandwala in AndheriShortly before his arrest Shaikh had allegedly duped a job seeker of his mobile phone and later went to Lokhandwala in a bid to cheat another person the officer addedUnder the guidance of DCP Deputy Commissioner of Police Anand Bhoite senior inspector Vijaykumar Panhale inspector Sanjay Bedwal API Assistant Inspector Mahesh Mundhe along with detection officer PSI Subinspector Tushar Sukhdev and their team traced the accused and apprehended him after months of investigation and recovered 18 stolen mobile phones from him He has confessed to his crimes said Assistant Police Commissioner Hemant Sawant Further inquiries are ongoing We urge the citizens to remain cautious about job offers from unverified sources he added