Arrested impersonator called up lawyers to defraud their clients

A history-sheeter posing as BJP leader Ashish Shelar's PA was arrested for duping jail inmates' families. He called lawyers for client info, leading to one family losing ₹8,000.

MUMBAI: The history-sheeter arrested by the Bandra police for duping the families of jail inmates by posing as the personal assistant of BJP leader Ashish Shelar called several criminal lawyers to get more information on their clients. Pretending to be the MLA’s PA, 26-year-old Amir Irfan Bendrekar called up lawyers Vijendra Rai, Yasmin Wankhede, Iram Sayyed, Raes Khan, and Afreen, claiming to be calling from Shelar’s office or Mantralaya.

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The accused told the lawyers that due to overcrowding in jails, the state was planning to release a few criminals and that their clients could get freedom under this scheme if they co-operated in giving the contact details of their clients’ families. “However, all the lawyers except one suspected foul play and refused to give him any numbers,” said a police officer from Bandra police station.

The one lawyer who fell prey to Bendrekar’s ruse gave him a number, which the accused then used to call her client’s family member. He told the latter that the inmate had sustained injuries after falling in jail and needed ₹8,000 for his medical treatment. “The accused told the family member that the amount would be refunded once the state government sanctioned the grant, as the jail authorities lacked funds,” said a police officer.

Navnath Satpute, Shelar’s actual PA, found out about the fraud when the lawyer told him that she had received a call from the inmate’s family members, saying they had transferred ₹8,000 to “Shelar’s PA”. “As soon as we were informed about the fraud, we immediately approached the police before anyone else lost any money,” he said. “The accused did not use my name but told the lawyers that he was MLA Ashish Shelar’s PA named Sharma.”

Based on Satpute’s complaint on Friday, DCP (Zone 9) Raj Tilak Roshan set up a team that tracked Bendrekar to Nalasopara and arrested him. The police said that he had more than 14 earlier cases of cheating registered against him in Mumbai, Mira-Bhayander and Vasai-Virar. “He admitted to us that he used to procure the number of a relative of his friend/ acquaintance or even a stranger and call the relative,” said a police officer. “He would tell the relative that the person was in a medical emergency and needed money urgently for his treatment. He duped 14 people this way.”