Chembur resident loses ₹54k to conmen posing as Covid workers

Two persons stopped a 49-year-old man outside Chembur railway station and threatened him saying that they were officers in Covid cell. The accused then took his

Two persons stopped a 49-year-old man outside Chembur railway station and threatened him saying that they were officers in Covid cell. The accused then took his ATM card and PIN number, took him to a nearby ATM and withdrew ₹54,000. Following a complaint, Chembur police scanned CCTV footage of the ATM and found the registration number of the accused’s bike and arrested one accused on Sunday.

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During inquiry police learnt that the accused, Sohan Ganesh Waghmare, is a habitual offender and cases have been registered against him in Sion and Nehru Nagar police stations. Police are on the lookout for the other accused.

According to police, the complainant, Abdul Yakub Shaikh, a resident of Chembur, was heading towards the railway station around 6pm on June 30 when two unknown persons approached him. They claimed that they work with the Covid cell and were checking everybody. The accused then took the Shaikh’s wallet, took his ATM card and asked him for the PIN number. The accused then withdrew the money at a nearby ATM and fled from the spot on their bike.

Shaikh then approached Chembur police station and a case was registered against two unknown persons, said a police officer.

“After scanning the CCTV footage, we found the registration number of the bike. He was later arrested from his residence. We have also recovered the ATM card from the accused’s possession and his bike has been seized,” said senior inspector Shalini Sharma, Chembur police station.