Mumbai: A 42-year-old man with around 32 cases of cheating, forgery, impersonation, and cheque bounce registered against him in Mumbai and Bangaluru was arrested on Friday from Wadala after almost seven months of being on the run. The court, however, released him terming his arrest illegal as Bandra police failed to give grounds of his arrest before apprehending him.Accused Mehul Patel’s modus operandi was to look for divorcees/widows with strong financial backgrounds, lure them with sweet talks, honey trap them under pretext of marriage and dupe them. The latest victim is a pilot who was promised marriage and business opportunities and duped of Rs 50 lakh.
. Two victims who appeared while the accused was brought for remand were left shattered after the court ordered his release, said advocate Akshita Prajapati. “We had taken so much effort to trace him and inform police, leading to his arrest, but a small procedural lapse by police led to his release,” said one of the victims. Patel was arrested in connection with a case registered at Bandra police station following a complaint filed by a single woman. He created a profile on a marriage portal and lured a pilot with proposals. Patel allegedly befriended the complainant through social media in Sep 2023, and introduced himself as a successful businessman. Gaining her trust, he allegedly promised to marry her after her divorce and persuaded her and her father to invest money in his proposed businesses. Police said the complainant initially gave Patel Rs 50 lakh through a cheque in Jan 2024, after he claimed he urgently needed funds for his business. Patel allegedly made the complainant sign documents presented as formalities, which later turned out to be loan agreements. Patel allegedly took another Rs 3 lakh in cash on the pretext of paying a lawyer and school fees. When the complainant later demanded her money back for her father’s medical treatment, Patel allegedly returned only Rs 9 lakh and refused to repay the remaining Rs 44 lakh. “Mehul was earlier in jail for 14 months, moved to Bangaluru after his release and went absconding,” said an official. After inquiries, the complainant also learnt that Patel had allegedly befriended several other women and taken money from them with promises of marriage.
