Mumbai: Two pose as 'COVID officers', dupe man of Rs 54,000

Mumbai, Jul 5 () A history-sheeter has been arrested for allegedly posing as a "COVID officer" and robbing a man of Rs 54,000 in Chembur area of Mumbai, police said on Sunday.

Abdul Sheikh was on his way to Chembur railway station on June 30 when Sohan Waghmare (23) and an accomplice accosted him and introduced themselves as "COVID officers", an official said.

"Waghmare and his accomplice searched Sheikh's bag, took out an ATM card from it, managed to get its PIN number, went to an ATM and withdrew Rs 54,000. A search was mounted for the duo after Sheikh filed a complaint," said the Chembur police station official.

CCTV footage of the area was scanned and the accused's car number was obtained, after which Waghmare was arrested from his Chunabhatti home on Friday, while his accomplice is still at large, he added.

"Waghmare has been charged with cheating under IPC. He has cases against his name in Sion and Nehru Nagar police stations as well," the official said.

He said it was probably the first case in the city where someone has taken advantage of the coronavirus outbreak and posed as a "COVID officer" to dupe somebody. ZA BNM BNM