Santosh Bhikaji Kambli (36), of Dhankawadi, lodged a complaint in this regard at the Deccan Gymkhana police station. The con artists who duped Kambli were identified as Manali Prasad Kulkarni, Vijayshree Kadam, Ashok Kulkarni and Sanjay Dongre, and their three accomplices.u00a0

Police officials said that in January, Kambli came across a newspaper advertisement promising easy loans. Since he was looking for a loan to start his hotel, he contacted the number mentioned in the advertisement, and got in touch with Kulkarni. They met on several occasions at a restaurant on JM Road.