Mumbai: Bank Manager Duped Of ₹26 Lakh In Stock Market Investment Scam; 2 Booked

The Tilak Nagar police in Chembur have booked two individuals for allegedly duping a bank manager, employed with Kotak Mahindra's Ghatkopar branch, of ₹26 lakh. One of the accused, who was a customer of the bank, along with his associate, approached the victim under the guise of stock market investments, promising lucrative returns.

According to the police, the incident took place between 2022 and 2023, when the victim was working as a relationship manager at ICICI Bank's BKC branch. A resident of Chembur, she met Aamir Ali Dostmohammad Merchant, a customer who claimed to be an expert in the stock market. Merchant later introduced his associate, Imran Ahmed Qureshi. The duo persuaded her to invest in the stock market, assuring her a 10% monthly commission.

Over a year, from 2022 to 2023, the victim invested more than ₹26 lakh. Initially, she received some commission as promised, but the payments soon stopped. Despite repeated inquiries, the duo failed to provide any explanation.

In a bid to recover her money, the victim attempted to contact Aamir Ali, only to discover that he had sold his house in Neral and moved. Further investigations revealed that Imran had also closed the bank account into which she had transferred the funds. After waiting nearly a year for the return of her money, the victim filed a formal complaint with the police on October 4, leading to charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust being filed against the accused.