Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch has busted a racket that fraudulently cheated people under the pretext of providing special passes to travel in the ongoing lockdown.

The accused charged people Rs 6,000 stating only pass holders were allowed to travel in the lockdown. The victims were provided a phone number and told that the concerned person will be able to provide special passes to travel from Mumbai to other districts.

When the unit VII of the crime branch received this information, they verified it. One of the officers posed as a customer and contacted the person on the phone number.

“The accused sought for documents including COVID-19 negative report, driver’s licence copy and his photo for a pass to Solapur. When the charges for the same were asked he sought for Rs 5,000 and additional Rs 1,000 for arranging the corona negative certificate’s hard copy. The accused has duped several persons using the modus,” said a crime branch officer.

The accused shared details of his Federal Bank account and asked for making advance payment of Rs 1,000 and remaining money to be paid while collecting the e-pass. He asked the decoy to collect the pass from a person in Bhandup.

A team of unit VII laid a trap at the said spot and intercepted a car. The accused was apprehended while taking the remaining money.

A case has been filed against the accused and his other accomplices as per the provision of the Indian Penal Code for cheating, forgery, forging documents, breach of trust and acts of common intention and the police are on the lookout of others involved in the racket.

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