E-Paper
2 lure Navi Mumbai resident into buying piece of comet, dupe him of ₹1 lakh; arrested
The Navi Mumbai crime branch has arrested two men for duping a Panvel resident of ₹1 lakh by trying to sell a metal ball claiming it to be a piece of comet that
The Navi Mumbai crime branch has arrested two men for duping a Panvel resident of ₹1 lakh by trying to sell a metal ball claiming it to be a piece of comet that crashed on the earth. One of the accused posed as a scientist with a trick of stopping a wristwatch and a smoke chemical reaction ‘authenticated’ the comet to con the man.
James George, 49, who works at a Mumbai-based logistics service, got acquainted with the accused, Popat Khomane, 51, around two months ago. Khomane kept in touch with George regularly, gaining his trust and confidence until September 10, when he asked George to meet him.
An officer from the crime branch said, “Khomane met George at Airoli bus depot and showed him a picture of ‘the comet’. The ball was actually a copper piece covered in an aluminium foil and a coloured cotton cloth.”
Khomane told him he knew a man who was trying to sell the ‘comet’ piece that would fetch ₹25 crore in the international market. Khomane asked George to buy it after which they would sell it in the international market as the rock was highly sought-after by cosmology scientists.
He claimed that the original seller was unaware of the real price and was selling it for only ₹20 lakh.
Promising to get a seller for ₹25 crore, Khomane asked George to give him ₹3 crore from the profit. Finding the deal lucrative, George agreed. To further convince him, Khomane introduced him to his accomplice, Afsar Sayyed, 35, who posed as a scientist.
The men showed him the ‘comet’ and placed a wristwatch on it. The watch stopped working on it. Khomane then paid him ₹1 lakh as an instalment. While showing the stone to George, Sayyed sprinkled a whitener like chemical to authenticate it.
“When the ball released smoke like fumes, Sayyed claimed that the comet was releasing radiation and will take four days to cool down after which he can collect it. We arrested them after laying a trap on October 3. They have been remanded in custody till Thursday,” said Subhash Nikam, senior inspector, unit 1, crime branch.
After George told his friend about his latest purchase, the latter warned him it could be a con. He asked Khomane to return the money as he was not interested in the deal any longer. The man refused to return the money.
Sayyed is a Bhiwandi resident while Khomane is from Nerul. While police have not found any registered offences against the duo, police are still verifying if they have duped people in a similar con or other dubious schemes.
