‘Be wary of a smooth talker,’ warns the Pydhonie police as they are on the hunt for a man who has been duping customers of Mahanagar Co-operative Bank. According to Inspector Avinash Shingte from Pydhonie police station, the unidentified accused has been duping people for the last year or so and picks his victims by roaming outside the bank premises and notices the comings and goings of his potential victims. He then manages somehow to get information about them and then approaches his to-be victims, convinces them to part with the money and then flees the spot (See modus operandi in box).

The first incident took place outside the Kalachowkie branch last year. He struck again last week at the Pydhonie branch of the bank. In the first incident, he duped a man of Rs 1.5 lakh, while in last week’s case he was able to con Ajnikya Lad, working at a goods transport agency, of Rs 45,000.