Five booked for defrauding 65 people by promising aid under Ladki Bahin scheme

“When they started probing, it came to light that five persons identified as Sumeet Gaikwad, Raju Borade, Roshan, Danish, and Shahrukh had approached them between April 4, 2024, and August 29, 2024, under the pretext of helping them obtain benefits under the government’s Ladki Bahin scheme,” an officer said.

The five individuals then called the victims to a location in Mankhurd, took their Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and bank passbooks, after which the victims were taken to various locations, including two shops in Andheri and Kurla, police said. The accused then took advantage of their illiteracy and bought iPhones through loans obtained using the documents and signatures of the victims.

Police added that to gain their trust, the accused even handed them a nominal amount, claiming it was the first payment under the government scheme and that further payments would be deposited directly into their bank accounts.

“They took loans of over Rs 20 lakh in the names of 65 individuals as various amounts were obtained using documents of the victims,” an officer said.

Later, when the company officials learned about the scandal, they lodged a complaint, following which an inquiry was conducted and the whole scandal came to light. On Sunday, police registered a case of cheating against the five individuals at Mankhurd police station.

An officer said, “We have registered an offence, and our teams are trying to locate the suspects. We are trying to find out how big the scandal is and whether more people have fallen for it.”