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The Mahim Police have arrested a habitual fraudster for allegedly duping a 42-year-old man by falsely promising financial assistance of ₹2 lakh from the Lions Club of Mumbai following the death of his female friend. The accused has been identified as Atish Vikram Khedkar alias Suresh Pandey. A court has remanded him to police custody. According to police, the accused had similarly cheated seven to eight individuals in the past. Following the exposure of his fraudulent activities, he had earlier been terminated from his job at Sushrusha Hospital. Police suspect that his arrest may lead to the detection of more such offences. The complainant, Gaurav Krishna Meher (42), a resident of Fisherman Colony in Mahim and an employee of a private IT firm, received a call on February 11, 2026, from a person identifying himself as Suresh Pandey, claiming to be calling from Sushrusha Hospital in Dadar. The caller referred to Meher’s friend, who had been admitted to the same hospital after an accident on February 5, 2024, and had died during treatment on March 4, 2024. Using these details, the accused claimed that he had witnessed Meher’s efforts during her hospitalization and informed him that the hospital had received a ₹20 lakh fund from the Lions Club of Mumbai to assist patients’ families, out of which ₹2 lakh would be given to him. Though Meher initially declined the offer and even informed his deceased friend’s sister—who also refused the aid—the accused continued to pressure him. He later demanded ₹10,000 as a “registration fee” to process the payment and sent a photograph of a bank passbook bearing the name Atish Khedkar, claiming he was a senior official. Believing the claim, Meher transferred ₹10,000 to the provided bank account and received a fake receipt via email purportedly from the hospital. The next day, the accused demanded an additional ₹20,000 as GST. Growing suspicious, Meher sent his friend to the hospital to verify the claim. Hospital authorities confirmed that no such fund had been received and that no such financial assistance scheme existed. Following this, Meher lodged a complaint with Mahim Police. A case was registered against the accused under cheating and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. In a planned move, Meher called the accused and asked him to collect the GST amount in cash near Rajwadi Hotel at Lower Parel. When the accused arrived around 11:30 am, Meher and his associate detained him and handed him over to the police. During interrogation, Khedkar confessed that he was unemployed and in need of money, and had attempted to cheat Meher by exploiting his friend’s death. Police investigations revealed that he had carried out similar frauds in the past, leading to his dismissal from Sushrusha Hospital two years ago. Further investigation is underway.

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