A 75-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of jewellery worth ₹3.3 lakh by three conmen in Ghatkopar on Thursday. According to the Pant Nagar police, the incident occurred around 7.45 a.m. near Prafullaben Bansali’s residence in Mahavir Jyot Society where she stays with her family.
Ms. Bansali, in her statement to the police, said that she was returning home after visiting a nearby temple when she saw two men sitting on a motorcycle in the society compound.
“They identified themselves as policemen and told me that a woman had been murdered in the neighbourhood, and that I should be more careful. They asked me to remove all my jewellery and hand it over to them. I refused saying that I lived nearby and I was going home. At the same time, another man came up, handed over a gold chain to them, and walked away,” she said.
This tricked Ms. Bansali into believing that the two were genuinely policemen, and hence, she handed over her gold chain and two gold bangles to them. The men wrapped it in a sheet of paper and handed it back to her, after which they left the scene. It was only after Ms. Bansali reached home and unwrapped the paper that she realised there was no chain inside and that the bangles were fake, police officers said.
Ms. Bansali told her son about the incident, who then approached the police. A case of impersonating a public servant and dishonestly inducing deliverance of property under the Indian Penal Code was registered against unidentified people.
“Based on the information Ms. Bansali gave us, we believe that she was tricked by the three men. The total value of stolen jewellery is estimated at ₹3.3 lakh. We are probing the incident,” senior police inspector Sanjay Bhalerao, Pant Nagar police station, said.
