Two Yemen nationals held for cheating their soldiers

Powai Police has arrested two Yemen nationals on Friday after noon for cheating Yemeni soldiers to the tune of Rs 2.05 lakh, on the pretext of getting better medical facilities for treatment, while posing as embassy officials. The accused duo--Fahd Radwan Al Mastari, 33 and Ali Abdulghani Ali Al Gauzi, 24, were booked on Wednesday and arrested from Pune on Friday.

In February, five Yemen soldiers, who had sustained injuries in a civil war between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, had come to India for treatment and were staying at Lake Blue Residency, Powai. They were to be treated at Fortis Hospital in Bhandup. During their treatment, two Yemen nationals, Mastari and Gauzi, approached the complainant posing as Yemen Embassy officials from Delhi and said they could offer them better health care service at Apollo Hospital in Navi Mumbai. The soldiers fell prey to the offer and handed in their passports, transaction code to complete the for malities.

The accused duo then used their transaction codes of five Yemen soldiers to make money transfers of 11,500 Saudi Riyal (equivalent to Rs 2.05 lakh), thereby duping them. When the complainant lear nt about it, they enquired with the Yemen consulate, only to realise that they have been conned. Accordingly, on Wednesday, Yemen soldiers approached Powai Police and lodged a complaint against Mastari and Gauzi.

Sudhakar Kamble, senior inspector of Powai police station said, "We enquired with our tippers and based on technical evidence lear nt that the accused duo were in Pune and a police team was sent there. On Friday after noon, the duo was arrested with the help of local police and were brought to Mumbai for further questioning."

The duo has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating (section 420), criminal breach of trust (section 406) and common intention (section 34).