The Crime Branch Unit 12 has arrested three men for operating a counterfeit foreign currency racket that duped victims in exchange scams involving fake US dollars. The accused—Shahid Mojbul Haq Sheikh alias Abdul (45), Noor Alam Aynul Sheikh (38), and Shahjahan Irshad Sheikh (44)—are all residents of Jharkhand and had been active for several years.
In a 2024 incident, the trio cheated a Kandivli-based businessman by pretending to exchange Indian rupees for US dollars. They handed him a bundle of paper cut to resemble US currency and fled with Rs6 lakh in cash.
The gang was caught red-handed on June 6, 2024, while trying to dupe another resident, Bhavesh Gunvantlal Barot (43), near Ashok Nagar Bus Stop, Kandivli East. They lured him with the same promise—Rs6 lakh in exchange for dollars—and once again attempted the same trick using paper bundles.
Following a complaint, a team led by Senior Police Inspector Balasaheb Raut, and including API Vijay Raskar and other officers, launched an operation using technical surveillance, CDR analysis, location tracking, and CCTV footage.
Acting on a tip-off, the police intercepted the trio at Dattani Park Road in Kandivli East. Upon interrogation, they confessed to their involvement in both incidents.
The Crime Branch also seized three mobile phones, Rs8,820 in cash, and $7 in genuine currency. Efforts are ongoing to locate two unidentified accomplices, including one Faizal Sheikh, who was part of the earlier fraud.
