Police arrest duo accused from Rajasthan and recover stolen gold worth Rs 6.78 lakh; accused operated across different states, have carried out half a dozen thefts in Mumbai
An accused woman seen with an elderly woman in Mumbai last year. FILE PIC
The Dadar police have arrested two accused involved in a series of deceptive thefts targeting elderly women, often posing as government officials or well-wishers. Police said that the duo was apprehended from Rajasthan after a sustained investigation, adding that stolen gold ornaments worth Rs 6.78 lakh were recovered from them.
The accused have been identified as Shaheedabi, alias Salma Firoz Khan Pathan, 37, a resident of Gujarat, and Hawai Singh, alias Happy Singh Madhansingh Shekhawat, 34, a resident of Rajasthan. The arrest follows a case that was registered based on a complaint by 80-year-old Chandrabai Janu Anjarlikar, a resident of Prabhadevi, who was duped on January 8, 2025.
According to the police, during that time, the accused woman, Shaheedabi, approached the elderly woman near the fish market in Prabhadevi Khada, claiming to know her son, who was in need of money. Gaining her trust, she coaxed the victim into a taxi, pretending to take her to a bank to withdraw cash. During the journey, she convinced the senior citizen to hand over her gold ornaments for “safekeeping” only to flee after dropping her off near the Pydhonie area.
(From left) Accused Shaheedabi alias Salma Firoz Khan Pathan; Accused Hawai Singh alias Happy Singh Madhansingh Shekhawat. PICS/SAMIULLAH KHAN
Following the incident, the victim approached Pydhonie police station to register a complaint, but the matter was transferred to the Dadar police due to jurisdiction. Based on her complaint, the Dadar police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS, police said. API Bhagwan Paighan, along with API Ramakrishna Sagade and PSI Rajesh Jadhav, assisted by a team including Constable Ashwini Natekar, Constable Manoj Sutar, Constable Sagar Nikam, Constable Manish More, and Constable Pandurang Gotmare, launched an investigation into the matter.
“Technical surveillance of mobile numbers and analysis of CCTV footage led us to identify Shaheedabi as the main accused,” said a senior police officer. The investigation further revealed that her accomplice, Hawai Singh, had rented a vehicle and was actively involved in multiple thefts in Dadar and nearby areas. The duo was traced to Rajasthan, where they were arrested with the assistance of local police on July 30 and brought to Mumbai.
Further investigation revealed that Shaheedabi has a long history of conning elderly women, not just in Mumbai, but across multiple states. Her modus operandi involves targeting alone senior women wearing jewellery. Hawai Singh, who was arrested along with the woman, had met her during a journey. The two became friends and began committing cheating incidents together.
In the past, the duo has carried out more than half a dozen fraud incidents in Mumbai. These include two cases in Kurar, one in Borivli, and three in Dadar. Police said that the accused woman was earlier arrested by DB Marg and VP Road police in 2019 in similar cases and has multiple cases registered in Udaipur, Gandhinagar, Gorwa, and Karelibaug (Gujarat). Both accused are currently in police custody, and further investigations are underway to uncover the extent of their operations across the country, said the officer.
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