A shocking case of fraud has come to light in Mankhurd, where a gang allegedly misused government scheme documents of 65 individuals to obtain loans for iPhones, causing a private finance company a loss of nearly ₹20 lakh. Posing as agents helping beneficiaries avail benefits under the state government's 'Ladki Bahin Yojana', the fraudsters collected documents from unsuspecting citizens and used them to fraudulently procure loans.
Mankhurd Police have registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against five accused—Sumit Gaikwad, Raju Borade, Roshan Danish, Shahrukh, and one unidentified person. The accused are said to be part of a well-organised racket. According to police, they lured people with the promise of monetary aid under the scheme, took them to iVenus Apple stores in Kurla and Andheri, and handed them iPhones temporarily just for photographs. These phones were later taken back by the accused.
The gang gave each person ₹2,500 claiming it was the "first installment" of the scheme and assured that further payments would be credited directly to their bank accounts. However, instead of any aid, loans were taken in their names for purchasing iPhones, which were never handed over to the individuals. The scam remained under wraps until the finance company noticed irregularities in loan repayments.
Akash Sudesh Dhamal, who works as a manager with the finance company in Kurla, initiated the investigation after noticing that EMIs for 65 loan accounts were not being paid. The company, headquartered in Nehrunagar, Thane, primarily offers consumer loans for electronics and household items. After internal scrutiny, their team personally met the 65 individuals.
The victims revealed that with help from one Sumit Gaikwad, and others like Shankar Ghadge, Padma Kamble, Sulochana Diwanji, and Sonal Nandgaonkar, they were taken to Apple stores and convinced they would benefit from the state scheme. Their Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and other documents were collected under the pretext of processing their applications.
Investigations revealed that between April 4 and August 29, 2024, these individuals were called to a location near Mangirbaba Mandir in Sathe Nagar, Mankhurd. Their documents were used to obtain loans for iPhones, which the gang kept for themselves. None of the loans were repaid, causing the finance company a loss of ₹20.07 lakh.
Following this revelation, Akash Dhamal filed a formal complaint with Mankhurd Police. Based on the evidence, a case was registered against the five accused. Police suspect more individuals may be involved in this organized scam and have launched a manhunt for the culprits.
The case highlights the vulnerability of common citizens who fall prey to scams disguised as government schemes and raises serious concerns about the misuse of personal documents in fraudulent financial activities.