Rising cases of conmen promising high returns, vanishing with money: Police

Times of India | 5 days ago | 22-09-2022 | 04:33 am

Panaji: Goa police has said that conmen luring many Goans with the promise of high returns on investments, collecting huge sums of money and then disappearing from Goa is a rising crime trend in the state. In the latest case, Noor Ahmed, a native of Bihar, who has allegedly cheated around 200 people, mainly in Vasco, using the same modus operandi was caught at the India-Nepal border in a joint operation by the police. The EOC has registered a first information report (FIR) against Ahmed for cheating.Police said Ahmed had cheated his victims to the tune of over Rs three crore on the pretext of providing flats and then vanished. Nearly 60 complaints of cheating had been filed against Ahmed before his arrest.“When we inquired, however, we found that he had cheated over 200 persons,” crime branch superintendent of police (SP) Nidhin Valsan said.As part of the scheme, Ahmed would take money to the tune of Rs five lakh on the pretext of selling flats to his victims. They were told that they will be given the flat on long lease and they would be owners of the flats over a period of time. The victims were also promised monthly returns. Initially, many victims were also paid monthly returns. The fraud came to light when flat owners who were also duped, started confronting the victims and asking them to pay the rent or vacate the premises. When they tried to contact Ahmed, he was unavailable over the phone and his office was also closed. Ahmed, who had been staying in Goa for almost nine years, started this scheme in 2018. So far, the economic offences cell (EOC) of Goa police has registered eight such cheating cases. “We have come across cases where people have invested their entire retirement benefits into such schemes,” Valsan said.Cautioning people against falling for such false promises, Valsan said that if anyone is approached with a scheme promising huge monthly or quarterly returns, they should study it carefully and inform the police in case they suspect something amiss.

Read more

Share:

Similar News

3 held with drugs worth over Rs 2 lakh

Times of India | 1 day ago | 26-09-2022 | 04:51 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 26-09-2022 | 04:51 am

Margao/Vasco/Calangute: Three persons were arrested by the police on Sunday—one in Fatorda, one in Zuarinagar and one in Calangute—with ganja.Fatorda police on Sunday arrested a resident of Navelim after he was found with ganja worth nearly a Rs 1 lakh. Police sources said that the accused, Zaker Akbar Shaikh, 35, was nabbed from the parking lot of SGPDA market at Fatorda, on Sunday afternoon. Following a search in the presence of executive magistrate, Salcete, 986g of a narcotic substance, suspected to be ganja, was recovered from him.Calangute police nabbed a drug peddler, Muhammad Jafer Gudumia, from Karnataka with 1.1kg narcotics worth Rs 1.1 lakh near the Dolphin Circle at Calangute on Sunday. Verna police arrested a food delivery person with 63g of ganja worth Rs 6,300. Investigating officer Pravin Simepurushkar said the accused, Shiv Pratap Halwai, 24, is a resident of Vasco and native of Mumbai.

Raid of PFI leader’s home shocks locals

Times of India | 3 days ago | 24-09-2022 | 04:53 am

Times of India

3 days ago | 24-09-2022 | 04:53 am

Vasco: Thursday’s search of Popular Front of India (PFI) leader Anis Ahmed Mossa’s Baina home by the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and police forces generated shockwaves among local residents, who said they were clueless about his true identity. “It is shocking to know that he (Mossa) was associated with PFI activities and was operating from a flat located in the Housing Board Colony close to Baina beach for several years,” said councillor of ward 7, Ramchandra Kamat. “The people in my ward were in the dark for the past several years over PFI’s activities. They woke up on Thursday morning with a shock after noticing several security agencies surrounding and cordoning off the flat at Housing Board Colony,” he said.During the search, incriminating documents, cash, and several digital devices were seized. Mossa, PFI’s central committee member and a resident of Bengaluru, used to frequently visit Goa. He left the state over 15 years ago and is among PFI’s top leaders. Kamat, who said he was a childhood friend of Mossa and had attended the same school as him, slammed the local police for not being aware of the kind of activities being conducted by Mossa and PFI.“Mossa, who was occupying the flat at the Housing Board Colony, was spotted in the Baina locality some 12-15 years ago. He was last believed to be in Bengaluru, Karnataka. His father is said to be working on a barge, while one of his two brothers has a fishing business and the other is a mason. His sister resides at Mangor Hill,” Kamat said. He wondered why Mossa, who came from a family of good repute, would have links with PFI.“The flat at Housing Board Colony were Mossa used to reside is presently occupied by a maulana. People have noticed children visiting the flat, creating suspicions that it could be a madrassa,” said Kamat.

Victims of Vasco fraud seek justice

Times of India | 4 days ago | 23-09-2022 | 04:52 am

Times of India

4 days ago | 23-09-2022 | 04:52 am

Vasco: Victims of conman Noor Ahmed gathered at Vasco, demanding justice on Thursday.They requested the state government and the police to recover the money which Ahmed had fraudulently taken from them.Ahmed was arrested recently by the crime branch team at the Nepal border. Police said Ahmed had cheated his victims to the tune of over Rs 3 crore on the pretext of providing flats on lease and then vanished. Nearly 60 complaints of cheating had been filed against Ahmed before his arrest.

PFI leader’s house raided, docus, digital devices seized

Times of India | 4 days ago | 23-09-2022 | 04:30 am

Times of India

4 days ago | 23-09-2022 | 04:30 am

Panaji: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and police forces conducted a search at the residence of Popular Front of India (PFI) leader, Anis Ahmed Mossa, at Baina, Vasco, on Thursday. Around 20 officers were involved in the search operation.During the search, incriminating documents, cash, and a large number of digital devices were seized.The search started at 3am and concluded around 8pm. The central committee member, who is a resident of Bengaluru, used to frequently visit Goa. Musa left the state over 15 years ago and is one among the top PFI leaders. Goa police said that NIA and ED officials have come from Mumbai to conduct a search. PFI has its office in Margao and is also active in Ponda.NIA had taken the help of Goa police to conduct the search and a huge force of Goa police personnel were kept on standby to act in case of any law and order situation during the search.When asked if Goa police will monitor the activities of PFI in the state, director general of police (DGP) Jaspal Singh told TOI that the department’s special branch always keeps a watch on all organisations.Chief minister Pramod Sawant had said that during the time of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) agitation, PFI were active in Goa trying to create communal disturbance. Sawant had said that earlier, on three occasions, PFI had attempted to disturb communal harmony in the state. He had said that he had received a police report on the activities of the PFI and the attempts to disturb communal harmony.Sawant had also said that he will write to the Union government seeking a ban on the PFI in the country.

BJP will win both LS seats, says Amonkar

Times of India | 4 days ago | 22-09-2022 | 11:51 pm

Times of India

4 days ago | 22-09-2022 | 11:51 pm

Vasco: Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar said that the induction of eight Congress MLAs has strengthened BJP and have brightened the party’s chances of winning both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa for the next parliamentary elections.The meeting with Union home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda in Delhi was fruitful, Amonkar told reporters on his arrival from the national capital on Wednesday evening.The Mormugao MLA, who was accompanied by Saligao MLA Kedar Naik, said that there was no discussion on a cabinet reshuffle and allocating of ministerial berths to the new inductees.Naik said that all the eight MLAs have extended unconditional support to BJP.Asked about the anger among their constituents over their “betrayal”, Naik said, “We need to explain to the people that we joined BJP for development and employment.”

More News

Latest News