8 arrested for issuing fake bail orders
The fake bail scamsters seem to have started operating in South Mumbai on a large scale, as the second case of fake bail surety and orders came to light in the last three months. Last week, Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch busted a gang for issuing fake bail orders and forged documents. The accused persons had even used the documents to produce in a court, but were nabbed.
According to police, the eight members of the gang had been on police’s radar for the past year. They were suspected of using forged documents to prepare bail papers. After a trap was laid near a magistrate court, the eight accused were arrested. Police said during a hearing at Mumbai Magistrate Court, two of them had tried to apply for an accused’s bail. Police identified the accused men and kept a close watch on their movements. “As expected, when the accused presented the forged documents and fake bail surety papers, we apprehended them. During the probe, we retrieved materials and modus operandi with which they prepared the forged documents,” said a police officer, requesting confidentiality.
The arrested accused have been identified as Shakir Hussain Mehndi Khan (35), Shafiq Rafiq Qureshi (34), Faiyaaz Amanullah Khan (34), Imran Sulemani (27), Mohammad Parvez Abdul Shaikh (50), Riyaz Ahmad Pathan (34), Muzaffar Kaazi (38), Yusuf Khan (31). Police have also seized 78 forged ration cards, 55 of Mumbai Police’s senior officers’ official stamps, unauthorised official stamp papers, PAN card, fake salary slips from 58 shell companies and 12 duplicate mark sheets.
Azad Maidan police booked the eight accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for forgery (section 463), making a false document (section 464) and common intention (section 34). Since the case is sensitive, police have handed over the accused men to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), who will investigate the matter further.
In December last year, police had arrested three for posing as fake witnesses or guarantors for the bail surety of the accused and cheating the magistrate court. The investigation revealed the accused cheated not only the court but the senior police officers also.