Mumbai: Police Arrest Man in Goregaon for Duping Businessmen of Rs 18.5 Lakh With Fake Catering Contract Papers

A 42-year-old man has been arrested by Goregaon Police for allegedly cheating two businessmen of ₹18.5 lakh by promising them a catering contract in a reputed corporate company using forged approval documents. The accused, Yusuf Mohsin Mirza, had been absconding for the past one year after a case was registered against him.

According to police, the complainants—Vinaymurthy Vinayagam Adithravider, a manager in a private company residing in Goregaon, and his childhood friend Rakesh Hire, who lives in Mithanagar area—had previously run a small food business together selling idli, dosa, and sambar in Jogeshwari.

In 2018, a man named Santosh Gupta, who frequented their food stall, introduced them to Yusuf Mirza, claiming he had strong contacts in top corporate firms and could help them set up catering services including tea, snacks, dosas, and other food counters in company premises.

Impressed by the proposal, the duo decided to venture into corporate catering. Yusuf provided them with documents and proposals from private companies and demanded money in return for securing the contracts. Over time, the two businessmen paid him a total of ₹18.5 lakh in phases.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the process got delayed. Post-pandemic, Yusuf began avoiding them and later claimed he had secured a contract for six food stalls in a multinational company. To gain their trust, he handed them forged approval documents allegedly from JP Morgan.

Upon verification, the documents were found to be fake and the company denied any association with Yusuf or issuance of any such contract.

Between December 2018 and June 2024, Yusuf had taken money from the duo under the pretext of helping them start canteen services in private companies but failed to deliver. When they began demanding their money back, he fled.

Following a complaint by Vinaymurthy, Goregaon Police registered a case of cheating and forgery against Yusuf Mirza. After a year-long search, he was finally arrested by a special team of Goregaon Police two days ago.

Further investigation is underway.