3, including a woman, held for cheating in Jahangirpuri

With the arrest of three persons including a woman, North-West District Police has busted a gang who cheated people on the pretext of selling dollars and rials at cheap rates in Jahangirpuri area.

The accused were identified as Sheikh Bacchu (30), Tutal Haldar (35) and Sultana (name changed). They have been charged with being involved in eight cases of cheating, registered at Jahangirpuri Police Station. According to police, during the enquiry of a complaint regarding cheating of people on the pretext of selling dollar notes at cheap exchange rates, technical details were examined and they managed to zero in on the accused.

Police claimed that acting on a tip-off, their team arrested Sheikh Bacchu and Tutal Haldar when they had come to cheat another person. Later, their accomplice Sultana (name changed) was also arrested.

"During sustained interrogation, they disclosed that they used to trap poor and semi-literate persons by showing them genuine dollars and rials," police said.

The woman member of the gang would visit hospitals and pose as a ragpicker, and tell people that she found wads of dollar or rial currency notes.

She provided one dollar to the victims as a sample of the money and would remain in touch with them and lure them by offering the money at very cheap rates. Explaining the modus operandi, police said that while negotiating the accused would first receive the cash from the victim and then hand over a packet containing scraps of papers covered with polythene.