Cleric arrested in ₹6.23 crore fraud scam
The accused has been absconding since the first FIR was lodged against him at Samarth police station on August 29, 2023
he Samarth police recently arrested Maulana Shoaib Mainuddin Attar (37), a resident of Masjid Mohalla, Bopodi, in connection with a ₹6.23 crore cheating case lodged under the MPID Act and the Maharashtra Human Sacrifice, Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.
The accused has been absconding since the first FIR was lodged against him at Samarth police station on August 29, 2023.
Earlier, the police had arrested the husband-wife duo identified as Abdul Hussain Hasan Ali Naeemabadi (40) alias Nadir and Roya alias Seema Abdul Hussain Naeem Abadi (35) on December 30 last year.
The crime took place between August 2020 and August 2022 at Rasta Peth and Shaikh Abdul Basit Abdul Latif (45), a resident of Kondhwa Khurd, had filed a complaint with Samarth police station.
Based on the FIR, the police had booked Nadir, Roya, Maulana Shoaib, Majid Usman Attar, Khalid Mainuddin Attar and Afifa alias Iram Shoaib Attar under the relevant sections of MPID and Black Magic Act.
According to the FIR, the cleric and Nadir who are real estate developers lured Shaikh into investing ₹2.40 crores in a ‘ non-existing ’ export-import business and cheated him. They did not give him any return on the invested amount and subsequently duped three others after which three more FIRs were lodged against them at different police stations in the city.
The accused currently face four FIRs where they have reportedly cheated their victims of above ₹6.23 crores.
The Samartha police during their investigation have recovered fourteen stamp papers, eleven notarised agreements of a private residential complex, two agreements of general Power of Attorney (POA), two stamp paper affidavits and four registered agreements carried out at sub registrar’s office from the accused.
Investigators in their remand application before the court submitted that there was a strong possibility of Maulana Shoaib’s involvement in the purchase of huge land and properties with the money.
The cleric and his associates recited spells over the drinking water fed to the complainant with the motive that he did not seek a refund of the invested amount and tried to influence his mental being.
Maulana Shoaib made transfers of huge amounts to non-investors and there was a need for his custodial interrogation, the police stated in their remand application.
Police inspector Pramod Waghmare said that a preliminary probe has revealed the cleric had formed at least eleven companies to carry out various monetary transactions.
The accused through a private firm had obtained a loan of above ₹1.90 crore while Afifa had got a sum of ₹52 lakh in her firm account.
The investigation has to be extended to probe the involvement of other accused in the case and their connections as there is a possibility of their involvement in cheating other citizens as well, he told the court.
Meanwhile, the court has sent him into police custody till January 12.
