The Pydhonie police recently arrested a fake “godman” and his two “disciples” who made away with the belongings of jewellers and traders while the victims were engaged in performing rituals instructed by the accused. The three are former textile merchants but resorted to the crime after trouble with their business. They were arrested after their latest victim lost a bag with gold worth '13 lakh to their scam at Masjid Bunder three days ago. According to senior police inspector Dinesh Ahir of Pydhonie police station, the trio operated in areas like DB Marg, Bhendi Bazaar and Bhuleshwar, which have a heavy presence of jewellery shops and trading firms. Consequently, businessmen there move around with cash and other valuables. “While Mohsin Raza Shaikh (25) posed as the godman, Zulfikar Ali Shaikh (50) and Jabbar Khan (35) acted as his disciples. Mohsin walked on the road with a conspicuous gait when the two others would walk up to him and staged an animated yet convincing act of complaining about business loss. He would ask the two to keep their bags at his feet and walk a few steps ahead and not look back whilst chanting god’s name. Other traders passing by — who watched the two follow his instructions — were asked to join in when they readily agreed,” Mr Ahir explained. The victim in the current case too kept his bag at Mohsin’s feet and began walking ahead by which time the three had made away with the gold. A complaint was immediately filed following which the Pydhonie police registered an FIR and arrested the three in a well-planned trap. The accused are from Delhi and Nagpur and were remanded to police custody till October 3, which was extended further. They were charged with criminal breach of trust and cheating under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
