Serial fraud with over 100 criminal cases held, cops find gold worth ₹1.25 cr

According to the police, they have identified at least 15 cases of impersonation-related fraud linked to the accused within Navi Mumbai alone. “He is a habitual offender, with over 100 criminal cases and prior cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA),” said cops

NAVI MUMBAI: After a two-month long investigation, the police have finally arrested a notorious fraud from Pune who has been impersonating police officers to cheat people across the city. The police recovered 1,186 grams of gold jewellery worth over ₹1.25 crore from the accused, and said that he has committed at least 15 cases of impersonation related frauds, and over 100 criminal cases.

Arrested computer hacker and cyber criminal with handcuffs, close up of hands (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Navi Mumbai crime branch has identified the accused as Sajjad Garibshah Irani ,47, from Shrirampur in Ahmednagar. Irani had been living with his wife in Kondhwa, Pune, where he was arrested.

The case came to light on July 31 when Pawankumar Ramavatar Kejriwal, 68, a resident of Kharghar, was stopped while shopping by a man claiming to be a police officer. Deputy commissioner of police, Sachin Gunjal said, “The impostor showed him a fake police ID card and claiming that a local man had been arrested for possessing ganja, took Kejriwal aside under the pretext of an investigation.” Gunjal added that the fraud then convinced him to put his gold chains and ring, all worth ₹1.5 lakh, into a bag which he soon fled with.

The theft was registered at the Kharghar police crime branch and launched the two-month investigation. “The team scrutinized 20-25 days of CCTV footage across routes between Lonavala and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and eventually identified a TVS motorcycle which the accused had used,” said assistant commissioner of police Ajay Landge.

Based on a tip-off, the team reached Pune on October 12, where the accused’s wife, Fiza Sajjad Irani had been detained for attempting to sell stolen gold ornaments. Through her, the police tracked down the accused’s house and found 1,186 grams of gold jewelry including bangles, necklaces, mangalsutras, chains, earrings, bracelets, pendants, and rings all valued over ₹1.25 crore.

The police also seized fake ID cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and even recovered the motorcycle the fraud had been using. During his interrogation, Irani confessed to committing multiple similar crimes across Navi Mumbai and other regions.

According to the police, they have identified at least 15 cases of impersonation-related fraud linked to him within Navi Mumbai alone. “He is a habitual offender, with over 100 criminal cases and prior cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The accused exploited the public trust in the police to conduct systematic fraud,” said Gunjal. The police arrested Irani on October 28, and he has been remanded to police custody till November 6.