Exhausted by the never-ending wait for justice, 18 women took it upon themselves to trace the man responsible for cheating them two years ago after promising to double their investment. From homemakers to professionals, the women had given him up to Rs 25,000 each, but neither did their money double nor did they get their original investment back.

Not having gained any returns for two years, the women registered an offence with the Kanjurmarg Police in April 2019. Vandana Dhurandhar, a Bhandup resident working in a private hospital, was told by one of her friends — Meena Jadhav — about the scheme that can double her investments in a few months. Jadhav got her in touch with Mukram Mohammed Ali Ansari claiming that he invested the money in the stock markets. Dhurandhar then made a group of 12 women from her native place and five others from her neighbourhood to make the investment.