The Sahar Police arrested the second accused, 39-year-old Taufiq Shaikh, on Wednesday for allegedly defrauding an American tourist of Rs. 18,000 for a taxi ride of just 400 metres. The Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court remanded him in police custody until February 6.
Senior Police Inspector Manoj Chalake stated that Shaikh had fled to Uttar Pradesh after committing the alleged crime. Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted him at Dadar railway station upon his return to Mumbai.
Earlier, on January 28, police arrested the first accused, 50-year-old Yashraj Yadav alias Pappu, who remains in judicial custody. Both accused are residents of Sahar Village and work as taxi drivers. While Shaikh has been linked to three similar cases in the past, Yadav has no prior criminal record.
The case came to light after a social media post by the victim, American national Argentina Ariano, went viral. She alleged that the taxi driver charged her Rs. 18,000 for a hotel trip of barely 400 metres, taking her on a 20-minute detour before demanding additional payment.
Investigations revealed that Yadav negotiated the fare and called Shaikh, who arrived with the car to complete the alleged scam. Police used OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) tools to trace Yadav and the taxi vehicle. Authorities are considering canceling Yadav’s taxi permit.
Inspector Chalake advised tourists to report suspected cab scams to hotel staff or local police to prevent such frauds.
