A woman has been arrested by Mahim Police for allegedly cheating a mobile shop owner under the pretext of selling Saudi Arabian Riyals at a discounted rate. The accused has been identified as Ranidevi Mukesh kumar Das, who is currently in police custody. Police said that she carried out the fraud with the help of an accomplice named Anil, who is now absconding.
According to police, the complainant is a mobile phone businessman residing with his family in the Malad area. He owns a mobile shop near Sandesh Hotel on T.H. Kataria Road, Mahim.
In June this year, a man named Anil had visited the complainant’s shop. He showed him a 100 Riyal note and claimed that he could provide Saudi currency at a cheaper rate. Initially, the shop owner refused, but Anil convinced him by saying that a woman known to him had several 100 Riyal notes and urgently needed money for medical treatment.
To gain his trust, Anil handed over one note, which the complainant later exchanged at a nearby currency exchange shop and received ₹1,500 for it. Convinced that the offer was genuine, the shop owner agreed to purchase more Riyals at ₹1,000 per 100 Riyal note.
As per the plan, Anil asked the businessman to meet him near V.N. Desai Hospital in Santacruz. When the complainant reached there, Anil arrived with a woman—later identified as Ranidevi Das. The woman handed him a packet supposedly containing 100 Riyal notes, while the duo collected ₹1 lakh from him and left.
When the businessman later opened the bag, he was shocked to find that there were no Riyal notes inside. Realizing he had been duped, he tried to locate the pair but failed. He then lodged a complaint at Mahim Police Station.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case of cheating and launched a manhunt for the accused. After nearly four months of investigation, police tracked down and detained Ranidevi Das for questioning. During interrogation, she confessed to orchestrating the fraud with her friend Anil’s help.
Police have launched a search operation to trace the absconding accused. Further investigation is underway.