12 held in Mumbai for duping people by obtaining credit cards, home loans on bogus papers

Police have arrested 12 members of a gang in Mumbai, including two women, which was involved in cheating people by using bogus documents to obtain credit cards.

Mumbai: Police have arrested 12 members of a gang in Mumbai, including two women, which was involved in cheating people by using bogus documents to obtain credit cards and home loans from banks and financial institutions, an official said on Monday.

During the probe, it came to light that the members of the gang had fraudulently obtained at least 200 credit cards by using documents of various persons, who had approached them, he said.

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Unit-3 of the Crime Branch arrested the accused persons from Bhandup, Mulund, Kurla and Wadala areas of Mumbai and recovered fraudulent I-T returns, TDS forms, electricity bills, stamps and seals of various companies, chartered accountant (CA) stamps, 10 swipe machines, 56 SIMs, PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, 14 mobile phones and Rs 60,000 in cash, he said.

According to one of the victims, who has lodged a police complaint, he was cheated by the gang members who had promised him to get a credit card and home loan and created fake documents in his name.

The accused persons took around Rs 4.50 lakh from the complainant to complete the process for obtaining the credit card and home loan, but did not deliver on their promise, said the official.

Based on his complaint, an FIR (first information report) was registered at the Agripada Police Station against the accused persons.

While investigating the case, the police unearthed the racket of cheating people by promising them credit cards and home loans.

The gang members had rented a shop and a flat, which was used as the residential address of the applicants seeking loans or credit cards, said the official.

With the help of documents, the accused persons used to obtain SIM cards which were then used as contact numbers of the applicants, he said.

The arrested women used to pose as employees of the persons seeking loans or credit cards and used to provide information to bank staffers during their verification visits, he said.

After delivery of credit cards at the given address, the accused persons used to swipe them on machines and make transactions in lakhs, said the official.

Three of the arrested persons, Pradeep Mourya, Bhavesh Shirsat and a 29-year-old woman, have cheating cases against them in police stations in Mumbai and adjoining Navi Mumbai, he said.

The accused persons were produced before a court, which sent them to police custody till Tuesday, said the official, adding further probe was underway.