Couple held for duping people of Rs1.5 crore

The Mira Road police have arrested a husband-wife duo, who allegedly conned over 20 people to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, on charges of cheating on Wednesday.

The Mira Road police have arrested a husband-wife duo, who allegedly conned over 20 people to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, on charges of cheating on Wednesday.

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Residents of Shanti Nagar in Mira Road, the couple has been identified as Hitesh Doshi, 39, and Purvi Doshi, 37.

According to the police, Hitesh was a dealer of second-hand cars and Purvi, a tuition teacher.

The couple, who have a 17-year-old son, has been duping people since the past four years, said the police.

Explaining Hitesh and Purvi’s modus operandi, the police said the duo would approach their targets, especially women, and ask the unsuspecting victims to invest money by luring them with a promise of double returns along with interest on their investment.

The scheme seemed to work, as many people started approaching the couple and invested money.

“As the couple is well-off, none of the victims suspected foul play before giving the duo their money,” said a police officer from Mira Road police station, who did not wish to be named, as he is not authorised to speak on the issue.

After a case was lodged, several people who had fallen prey to the couple’s fraudulent scheme started approaching the police station.

“Around 12 victims have already approached us. We are not certain how much money the couple has taken from the victims, but it could be well over Rs 1.5 crores,” added the police officer.

According to Avinash Sawant, senior inspector at Mira Road police station, Hitesh and Purvi have been booked for cheating. “We will be producing them in the court on Thursday. Further investigations in the case are still on,” said Sawant.