Mumbai: Conman Arrested in Mahim for Cheating Women of Gold Worth ₹10 Lakh Using Religious Deception

Mumbai Police have arrested a conman for allegedly cheating two women of gold jewellery worth around ₹10 lakh by falsely claiming to be a descendant of Prophet Mohammed and asserting that he possessed a strand of the Prophet’s hair. The accused, identified as Mohsin Ali Abdul Sattar Qadri, was arrested by the Mahim Police. During investigation, it was revealed that he had pledged the stolen gold ornaments due to financial difficulties. Police said efforts are underway to recover all the jewellery, and the accused is currently in police custody.

The complainant, Ansar Ahmed Abdul Ganni Farooqui, is a resident of Kapda Bazaar in Mahim. He was earlier employed at a garment shop in Byculla but had quit his job in July last year. In 2022, his brother Israr Ahmed Farooqui met the accused Mohsin Ali at the Haji Abdul Rehman Shah Dargah in Dongri. During this meeting, Mohsin Ali claimed that he was a descendant of Prophet Mohammed and that he possessed a strand of hair from the Prophet’s head. Following this, Israr remained in contact with him.

In September 2022, religious programmes were organised at Ansar Farooqui’s residence on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad. Mohsin Ali was invited to the house by Ansar’s brother. On that occasion, the accused assured the family that he would bring the sacred hair. As promised, he later arrived with the hair kept in a glass container, showed it to the family members, performed prayers as per Islamic rituals, and placed the container inside a wooden cupboard, which he locked. He warned the family that if anyone tried to remove the hair from the container, it would be destroyed.

A few days later, Mohsin Ali visited the house again when Ansar and his brother were not present. Taking advantage of their absence, he told Ansar’s wife and his brother’s wife that, as per the instructions of religious cleric Ghauspak Sarkar, if they placed their gold ornaments near the Prophet’s hair, prosperity would come to their household and their gold would increase. Trusting his words, the two women handed over gold jewellery weighing about 145 grams, worth approximately ₹10.15 lakh.

The accused again performed prayers and claimed that he was placing the jewellery inside the cupboard. Before leaving, he warned the women not to inform their husbands, stating that doing so would invite grave trouble.

Mohsin Ali continued to visit the house for prayers but avoided opening the cupboard. When the family grew suspicious and demanded the return of the jewellery, he initially claimed that he did not have permission from the religious cleric and assured them that the ornaments would be returned soon. However, he kept delaying the matter with various excuses.

Eventually, the women informed their husbands about the incident. Upon checking the cupboard, the family found the glass container with the hair intact, but the gold jewellery was missing. When confronted, Mohsin Ali admitted that he had pledged the jewellery due to financial problems and promised to return it, but failed to do so even after three years.

Following this, Ansar Farooqui approached the Mahim Police and lodged a complaint. Taking serious note of the allegations, the police registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust and launched a search for the accused.

After being wanted for the past one-and-a-half months, Mohsin Ali Qadri was finally arrested. During interrogation, he confessed to misappropriating the gold jewellery. Further investigation is underway.