Woman impersonated as landowner; Businesswoman cheated of Rs 18.90 lakh

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A history-sheeter allegedly duped a businesswoman and her husband of Rs 18.90 lakh by presenting another woman as the owner of agricultural land and executing a bogus deal. Police have registered a case against Arjun Tambe and his wife Surekha Tambe, residents of Mukundnagar.

Complainant Manisha More (48), who runs a book stall in Jai Bhavani Nagar, came in contact with the couple as they regularly visited her shop for school supplies. Gaining her trust, Tambe offered to sell two acres of land at his native village Sanjkheda, claiming it belonged to Gangubai Shridhar Thorat. The deal was finalised at Rs 42 lakh. On February 22, 2026, More paid Rs 1.90 lakh as token amount. The next day, she arranged Rs 17 lakh by breaking her gold jewellery and handed it over. That evening, near the High Court area, Tambe introduced a woman as Gangubai and a man as her nephew. After signing the token receipt and agreement at a Xerox centre, More paid a total of Rs 18.90 lakh, with the balance to be paid at registration.

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Fraud exposed after verification

On February 25 and again on March 3, Tambe allegedly demanded an additional Rs 5 lakh, raising suspicion. More later visited Sanjkheda, where the real Gangubai Thorat clarified that her land was not for sale. It was revealed that fake Aadhaar cards had been created in the names of Gangubai and her nephew to facilitate the fraud. When confronted, Tambe allegedly issued death threats, prompting More to file a complaint with police inspector Ashok Bhandare.

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Criminal Background

Police said Tambe has a serious criminal record. An attempt to murder case was registered against him at Karmad Police Station in 2023. A molestation case was filed at Mukundwadi Police Station in 2017, and a murder case was registered at Chikalthana Police Station in 2011. Police sub-inspector Vinod Bhalerao said the accused will be arrested soon.