A young woman who allegedly went around the city conning unsuspecting women over the past one and a half years was finally caught by police a few days ago.
She was caught when she herself approached the police to lodge a pre-emptive complaint
A young woman who allegedly went around the city conning unsuspecting women over the past one and a half years was finally caught by police a few days ago.
Parvin Merchant, 25, used to import expensive fabric from Karachi in Pakistan and run a boutique on Mohammad Ali Road. According to the police, she has so far duped at least 19 women to the cumulative tune of Rs60 lakh.
Merchant would allegedly coax her victims into investing money in her business. She would even give them a share of the profits for a while. But when they demanded the principal amount back, she would allegedly convince them to invest more money instead.
Merchant had similar cases registered against her since June 2006 and was on the run since then. She was finally caught when she herself approached the Pydhonie police station last week to lodge a pre-emptive complaint of cheating against one of her many victims.
When the police began investigating, the woman against whom Merchant had lodged the complaint told them that she was a victim, nor a perpetrator, of the fraud and that Merchant was the one who was duping women.
“On enquiring, we found that Merchant had similar cases registered against her at police stations across Mumbai, like Goregoan, Andheri, Nagpada, Agripada, and even Vashi,” said an officer of the Pydhonie police station.
Officers at the Pydhonie police station have written to their counterparts at other police stations asking for details of similar complaints lodged with them. “I think more cases will emerge and the total amount involved could go to well over a crore,” said the officer.
Merchant has two school-going children and lives with her husband, Aasif, who runs a business in wood and bamboo. She has been arrested and booked on a charge of cheating (section 420 of the Indian Penal Code). She has been remanded in police custody till December 24.
s_poornima@dnaindia.net
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