Mumbai: The city crime branch arrested a Jaipur businessman and an impostor who impersonated an IPS officer in a fresh case of cheating after a Gujarat businessman lodged a complaint alleging that the accused cheated him of Rs 16 lakh by posing as a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and promising to recover money allegedly owed to him from one builder.The crime branch last month arrested three persons, Mohammed Guas Khatib alias Raj Khatib, his son Mashab Khatib and Shahid Kapadia, red-handed from a three-star hotel while trying to cheat a person seeking a loan.Unit 1 of the crime branch on Friday arrested Rajasthan businessman Rajesh Bedsingh Choudhary, 46, and Mohammed Khatib, who was already in custody in connection with a similar cheating case.The fresh complaint was filed by Sikander Kothari, who runs an OTT platform, and alleged that he first met Rajesh Chaudhary and Naveen Sharma at Marine Drive in 2024. They allegedly introduced Khatib as a serving DCP in the Mumbai Police. Investigators said Khatib reinforced the deception by showing photographs of himself in a police uniform bearing stars and insignia and claimed he could recover the complainant’s investment from builder Kamal Sadhwani through his influence in the police force. Kothari alleged that he paid Rs 98 lakh to Jadhwani and booked a flat, but he neither got the flat nor his money back.Believing the claims, Kothari allegedly paid Rs 4 lakh in cash, handed over an Apple iPhone worth Rs 1.3 lakh, and later made several additional cash and online payments. The total amount allegedly cheated is Rs 15,90,532.Police said Khatib also claimed that money and expensive gifts were required to “please” police officers handling the matter. Despite repeated assurances, the promised work was never completed.During the investigation, crime branch officers recorded the statement of a retired police inspector who runs a tailoring shop. The witness allegedly stated that Khatib got a khaki police uniform stitched from his shop with provisions for police stars and insignia. Investigators seized the tailor’s receipt book and collected digital payment records, which allegedly show that payment for the uniform was made through the CRED account of Khatib’s son.Police said preliminary investigation indicates that many other citizens may also have been cheated similarly, and hence requested the victims to come forward and register a complaint.
