Khargone (Madhya Pradesh): With the arrest of four persons including a woman, police claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of thugs who duped a man on pretext of giving multiple returns on money invested.
Imposters donning khaki had duped a man of Rs 3.2 lakh. While the kingpin of the gang posing as promoter had approached a resident of Mandleshwar promising him triple return on the amount invested, the other members of the gang came in police uniform when the deal was being struck and threatening the complainant took away Rs 3.2 lakh, Khargone superintendent of police Dharamveer Singh told media persons here.
Police have arrested the kingpin of the gang and three others and recovered Rs 19,200 from their possession and also impounded their Bolero jeep, a car, and also police uniforms , used during committing the crime. The total value of seized goods stands around Rs 16.19 lakh.
The arrested include gang mastermind Narayan Thakur, 45, a resident of Toksar village under Sanawad police station limit in Khargone; Baghwatbai, 40, and Govind Goswami, 40, both residents of Malbedi village under Mortakka police station in Khandwa district. The fourth accused, Hussein Baig, 30, is a resident of Tunki village, under Sonala police station in Buldhana, Maharashtra. Two of their accomplices Juber and Mohsin, both residents of Inpun village under Mandhata police station in Khandwa district, are on the run and search is on to nab them, he added
Sharing the details of the case, the superintendent of police said Narayan targeted the victim and hatched a conspiracy at his place on April 11 to trap him. The very next day he met the victim and lured him with a lucrative offer of multiplying his cash within no time. He then called him at Chandanipura village on Khudgaon road with the cash. When the complainant was handing over Rs 3.2 lakh to Narayan, other members of his gang in police uniform arrived on the spot in a Bolero and car. They threatened the complainant as well as Narayan, who then acted as he did not know them. Taking them to be real cops, the complainant handed over the cash. The fake cops then made the two leave the spot.
Later understating that he was cheated, the man approached police and filed a complaint. The accused were booked under Section 420 (cheating), 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 170 (personating a Public servant) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
Police began their investigation on April 27 on the basis of inputs shared by the complainant including the registration number of the vehicles used in the crime. Police thereafter got the details of the vehicle owner and landed on the kingpin of the gang Narayan Thakur. He was picked form Toksar village. Based on information provided by him, his other gang members were nabbed. Search for two other accused is underway, said the officer.
