Mumbai police have busted a gang that lured unsuspecting pedestrians, particularly senior citizens, with sweet talk before fleeing with their gold ornaments. Jogeshwari police arrested two habitual offenders from Pune in connection with the case. The accused have been identified as Ramesh Vijaykumar Jaiswal and Nilesh Chandrakant Ghag. According to officials, Jaiswal has 81 cases of cheating and fraud registered against him at various police stations in Mumbai, Thane and Mira-Bhayandar, while Ghag is involved in at least five cases.
The case came to light after a 70-year-old property agent from Jogeshwari lodged a complaint. On September 16, around 4.30 pm, he was passing near a BEST bus stop close to Jogeshwari railway station when two men approached him. They engaged him in conversation and advised him to keep his two gold rings, valued at ₹3.5 lakh and embedded with a yellow sapphire and a red gemstone, safely inside his wallet. As soon as he complied, the men used sleight of hand to steal the rings and escaped. The victim realised the theft later and immediately informed the Jogeshwari police, who registered a case of cheating and launched an investigation.
Senior officers had recently noted a rise in such crimes where elderly citizens were being deceived on the pretext of safety advice. CCTV footage from the area helped investigators identify one of the suspects, and further leads took them to Haveli in Pune, where both Jaiswal and Ghag were apprehended. During interrogation, they confessed to the Jogeshwari theft and admitted involvement in several similar crimes.
Police revealed that the duo’s arrest has helped solve at least six cases registered across Mumbai and Thane, including Vakola, Borivali, Kolshewadi, Mahatma Phule, Bazar Peth and Ramnagar police stations. In the Jogeshwari and Vakola cases, officers successfully recovered the stolen jewellery.
Authorities have urged citizens, particularly the elderly, to exercise caution and not trust strangers offering unsolicited advice on the streets, as organised gangs have been systematically targeting vulnerable pedestrians.