Mumbai Crime Branch Arrests Three for Defrauding Senior Citizen on Pretext of Exchanging Saudi Riyals

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has arrested three members of a gang accused of cheating people by offering to exchange Saudi Riyals for Indian currency at lucrative rates. The arrests were made during a parallel investigation linked to a case registered at Byculla Police Station.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Usman Mohammad Muttaliq Ali alias Aslam (32), Mohammad Hasan Mohammad Kabir Sheikh (26) and Rahim Mainuddin Khan (35). All three are residents of Kausa, Mumbra in Thane. The case is registered at Byculla Police Station under Sections 3(5) and 318(4) of the BNS. The amount involved in the fraud is ₹2 lakh.

According to the complaint filed by 76-year-old Abbas Mohammad Ali, a man identifying himself as ‘Shabbir’ approached him on 8 November 2025 and showed him a Saudi Riyal note of 100 denomination. The man claimed he had 1,700 such notes and urgently needed Indian currency. He offered to exchange them at a lower rate. Over the next few days, between 8 and 11 November, the accused contacted the complainant from different phone numbers, offering to give him the Saudi Riyals in exchange for ₹2 lakh.

On 12 November 2025, the complainant was called to Yashdeep Building near the Kedarnath Mandir Road, Nehru Nagar, Kurla (West), where the accused allegedly carried out the exchange. They took ₹2 lakh in cash from the complainant and handed him a cloth bundle, claiming it contained the Saudi Riyals. When he opened it, he discovered that it contained only pieces of paper.

Acting on instructions from senior officers, Crime Branch Unit 3, led by Senior Inspector Sadanand Yerekar, launched a parallel investigation. CCTV footage from the Kurla area revealed 5–6 suspects. Technical analysis further showed that the accused were frequently moving around the Charnipada and Kausa-Mumbra areas while switching their mobile phones on and off to avoid detection.

Based on call detail records and CCTV analysis from the area, the police identified possible hideouts. With the help of local informants and continuous surveillance, all three accused were detained from Charnipada, Kausa-Mumbra on 9 December 2025. After confirming their involvement, they were handed over to Byculla Police Station following a medical examination.

During preliminary questioning, the accused confessed to committing similar frauds in Kurla, Ghansoli, Koparkhairane, Diva, Surat and Hyderabad. The police are continuing further investigations.