A ‘friendship’ club that conned people by luring them into making friends with high-profile women and making good with their membership fees, has been busted by Mumbai cyber crime police.
A ‘friendship’ club that conned people by luring them into making friends with high-profile women and making good with their membership fees, has been busted by Mumbai cyber crime police. Five persons, including two women, have been arrested for the scam.
They have been identified as Najma Shaikh alias Nazia alias Aaliya; Priya alias Pooja Mishra, 23, a resident of Charkop; Faiyaz Babu Shaikh, 45, of Malwani; Sanjay Chabaria, 32, of Ulhasnagar and Abrar Usman Shaikh, 27, of Kalyan.
On October 12, the victim (name withheld) read an advertisement in a city-based newspaper for Aaliya Friendship Club, which carried two mobile numbers, inviting men to hook up with high-class women.
“The victim called one of the numbers to make inquiries on the day,” said a cyber-crime police officer, requesting anonymity. “Identifying herself as Priya, the girl at the other end told him that he could access smart, high-profile women, who would look after his physical needs, all for a fee of Rs 10,200.”
The victim was promised that he would be able to meet the girls twice a week. “As the victim couldn’t invest the entire amount, he requested if he could make an initial payment of Rs 2200 and pay the rest later,” informed the officer.
“Priya agreed, and messaged him the number of a bank account wherein he was asked to deposit the money. The said account belonged to one Chabaria. Priya also told him that a girl would soon be meeting him at R-Mall in Mulund.”
When no girl turned up despite his waiting all day at the mall, the victim called up the club. He was told that he would be provided an escort only after he paid the remaining amount. Subsequently, he began getting threat calls and SMSes from the club, saying if did not pay up the club girls would turn up at his residence to defame him.
Realising he’d been conned, he lodged a plaint with the cyber crime cell. “On Saturday, we arrested five of the club’s founders. It’s learnt that Najma is the girl with whom the victim had first spoken,” said the officer.
The police seized three mobile phones and two debit cards from the gang members and investigating the case further.
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