Amboli police arrest 30-year-old for serial fraud

According to the Amboli police, the accused has been identified as Arfin Sheikh, a resident of Oshiwara who has worked in call centres earlier but is currently unemployed. The police said that the Sheikh was caught after executives of an online delivery platform laid a trap for him when they got wise to his tactics, and then called the police control room

Mumbai: The Amboli police have arrested a 30-year-old serial fraudster who would allegedly place orders for expensive gadgets online and then circumvent the cash-on-delivery system using an ingenious modus operandi. The accused would allegedly send bogus messages - purportedly from his bank - claiming that he had paid the amount online to the delivery boys and receive the orders from them before they could reach his house.

Amboli police arrest 30-year-old for serial fraud

According to the Amboli police, the accused has been identified as Arfin Sheikh, a resident of Oshiwara who has worked in call centres earlier but is currently unemployed. The police said that the Sheikh was caught after executives of an online delivery platform laid a trap for him when they got wise to his tactics, and then called the police control room.

“Earlier this year, Sheikh had ordered a smartphone through an online delivery portal. On the day of the delivery, he called up the delivery executive and said that he was not at home and was sending his friend to pick up the order, adding that he was making payment for the phone online. As Sheikh had opted for the cash on delivery option, the executive was hesitant. Sheikh sent him a text message stating that the concerned amount had been debited from his bank, in the same format that a bank sends cash debit alerts to its customers,” said police sub inspector Tejasvi Jadhav, Amboli police station.

The executive, however, refused to hand over the phone to Sheikh’s friend, as he did not have independent verification of the money being paid to the online shopping portal. Two weeks later, Sheikh allegedly sought a replacement for Apple Airpods from the same shopping portal, claiming that he had been given a faulty product. The replacement was processed and once again, on the day that he was to receive the replacement, Sheikh allegedly called up the delivery boy and met him outside his house.

“It was only later that it came to light that Sheikh had given the delivery executive a cheap imitation of the Airpods packaged inside a box of the genuine product. As Sheikh had used the same mobile number both time, the shopping portal red-flagged his number. Last week, he once again placed an order for a smartphone, selecting the cash on delivery option and the shopping portal was alerted,” said Jadhav.

True to the shopping portal’s suspicions, Sheikh once again called the delivery executive and sent him a bogus message about the amount being debited from his bank. He then called the executive near the Infiniti Mall in Andheri, and walked straight into a trap laid by the portal’s officials. After they intercepted Sheikh, they called the Mumbai Police control room at the 100 helpline number, and the information was relayed to the Amboli police.

“We have arrested Sheikh and charged him with cheating under the Indian Penal Code. Investigations are underway to find out whether he has committed similar crimes in the past. The fraudulently obtained Airpods have been recovered from him,” Jadhav said.