Fake 'ED raid' on jeweller: Mumbai Police crack case in 24 hrs, nab 3
Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Jan, 2023 11:37 AM
Mumbai, Jan 24 (IANS) In a major shocker, a gang of four persons, including a woman, impersonating Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers, "raided" and looted a Mumbai bullion dealer of gold and cash worth over Rs 2 crore, police said on Tuesday.
Moving swiftly into the investigations, the LT Marg Police have arrested three of the accused - Mumbaikars M. Fazal S. Gilitwala, 50, and M. Raji Rafiq, 37, and Vishakha Vishwas Mudhole from Khed town in Ratnagiri.
The police have also recovered a major portion of the loot from them even as the incident on Monday sent shockwaves in the glittering Zaveri Bazar area - the hub of gold jewellery business in south Mumbai.
Recounting the details, Deputy Commissioner of Police, II, Abhinav Deshmukh said that on Monday afternoon, Gilitwala and Rafiq barged into the offices of VBL Bullions in the heart of Zaveri Bazar and assaulted an attendant.
Announcing that "this is an ED raid", they demanded to meet company owner Viratbhai, started "searching" the office and staffers, confiscated their mobiles, and and ordered them to collect all the cash, gold and other valuables.
When worker Dashrath Mali demanded to see their I-cards, they slapped him, and even handcuffed him, and collected the booty worth over Rs 2 crore from the office, plus the mobile phones of the staffers.
They ordered Mali to take them to the other office at Diamond House nearby, where Vishakha Mudhole and her accomplice had already held hostage manager Vijay Shah, and demanded to know the whereabouts of Viratbhai.
Told that Virabhai had gone to his native place, the foursome freed Mali's handcuffs, asked him to leave the premises, grabbed the loot and decamped from there.
The scared Mali informed the shaken company officials and local jewellers on the "raids" but sensing something fishy, the police was informed, said DCP Deshmukh.
The police set up several teams, used tech-intel and scanned CCTV footage of the area and finally zeroed in on the culprits to arrest them.
"We have recovered Rs 15 lakh cash and around 2.70 kg of the stolen gold. We suspect there may be other associates involved in this operation and are on the lookout for them," said Deshmukh.
Meanwhile the accused Gilitwala and Rafiq were produced before the Esplanade Court and have been remanded to seven days' police custody, while the formalities for the accused woman Mudhole are underway.
Bhambri Kunal, 26, who first came to Singapore in 2018 to study, pleaded guilty to three counts of dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct. In exchange for at least $100, Kunal, who was jailed on Wednesday, withdrew cash totalling more than $26,000 from Singapore bank accounts.
Earlier, on November 14, SKM's National Council held a meeting at Gurudwara Rakabganj and strongly condemned the Modi government for betraying the farmers by not implementing the written assurances made on December 9, 2021 for legally guaranteed MSP, withdrawal of the Electricity Bill, among other demands.
The investigators doubted his version and on strong questioning and through digital evidences, including the use of her Instagram account, which showed the location of the Mehrauli area, Poonawalla finally confessed to killing the victim and then chopping her body into 35 pieces and was arrested on November 12.
Asserting that the SAD stood with the beleaguered peasantry, he announced the party would oppose collection of penalties imposed on the farmers, besides launching a sustained campaign in case the red entries in land records were not revoked.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Manpreet Singh and Bhupinder Singh -- both from Faridkot; and Baljit Singh of Muktsar Sahib. The DGP said the police had established the identity of two of the main shooters -- Manpreet and Bhupinder -- on the first day of the crime and a manhunt was launched in this regard.
Police said that they have arrested nine people, including an Assam Rifles Head Constable, of the gang. Meanwhile, a manhunt has been initiated to nab other accused which also includes a Delhi-based lawyer.
