Rupee-dollar exchange: Three dupe woman of ₹3 lakh, arrested

Kamini, who is from Punjab, told police that since the beginning of December, she was receiving calls from an unknown number from Delhi.

Three men were arrested in Shastri Nagar for allegedly duping people on the pretext of exchanging US dollars for Indian rupees. A mobile phone through which they solicited victims as well as ₹1.4 lakh cash that they had taken from their victims, were recovered from their possession, police officers said on Sunday.

Immediately after exchanging rupees for dollars, the suspects fled from the spot, so Kamini checked the bundle, and instead of dollars, she found some pieces of newspaper wrapped around a bar of soap, said police officers.

Ankit Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (northeast Delhi), said that on December 21, a woman, Kamini, who goes by her first name, registered a complaint of cheating at Shastri park police station.

Kamini, who is from Punjab, told police that since the beginning of December, she was receiving calls from an unknown number from Delhi. The caller identified himself as Ajay alias Rahul, who offered to exchange 5,000 US dollars in his possession with ₹3,00,000 cash, police said. The market value of $5,000 is approximately ₹4,13,021 in current prices.

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“She was asked to come to a place near Shastri Park Bridge. When she arrived, Ajay and his associates showed her a bundle of dollars. On being satisfied, she withdrew ₹3,00,000 from different automated teller machines in Connaught Place and went to Ajay. She handed over the cash to Ajay, who then gave her a bundle that she assumed contained dollars. Immediately after exchange, Ajay and his associates fled from the spot, so Kamini checked the bundle, and instead of dollars, she found some pieces of newspaper wrapped around a bar of soap,” said Singh.

A police team analysed CCTV footage and identified two suspects. A raid was conducted on Friday in which two persons, Meeraj Alam (22), who had identified himself as Ajay to the complainant, and Guddu Singh (34), were apprehended from Loni in Uttar Pradesh. During interrogation, Meeraj revealed that he committed the crime with his associates, police said. Later, another suspect, Rafiq Shaikh, was apprehended. All of them are daily wage workers, said police officers.