Man cons staffer of e-portal, flees with Rs 43k phone

Nagpada police have arrested a man who used a unique method to dupe a delivery man and run away after stealing an expensive smart phone. The accused first placed an order on an online shopping portal that offers the option to pay on delivery. He gave a bogus address while ordering the product, and at the time of delivery, he distracted the delivery man, and fled with the electronic gadget.

The arrested person has been identified as 30-year-old Mudassar Chaudhary, a resident of Khandia Street in Nagpada. According to the police, complainant Arbaz Sayyed (24), who works as a delivery man for an online shopping portal, on May 30, had gone to deliver parcels to buyers on his motorcycle, and had delivered 10 products from Arab Gully till Two Tanks area.

Around 1 pm, Sayyed was trying to locate 'Ayesha Mansion' in Nagpada, where he was supposed to deliver the phone to one Malik Memon. An officer with Nagpada police said that since Sayyed was unable to find the exact address, he called 'Memon', who asked him to come to Byculla House in Nagpada. "Sayyed reached the spot, where Memon met him. Memon then told Sayyed that he wanted the parcel to be gift-wrapped, and while Sayyed was drinking water, Memon fled with parcel – a phone worth Rs 43000," the officer added.

Sayyed looked for Memon, in vain; he then lodged a complaint with the police. After receiving specific information, Chaudhary was arrested near his house on Saturday. "During his interrogation, the accused told us that he had placed a bogus order with the intention to commit theft. We are yet to recover the stolen phone from him. We are also probing whether he has committed similar offences in the past," said the officer.