Mumbai: The Malad police on September 15 arrested a 34-year-old woman who had been wanted for the past four months in connection with a multi-crore overseas job fraud.

The accused, identified as Ekta Avinash Ayre, also known as Drishti or Manisha, allegedly set up a bogus company in a Malad shopping mall and cheated at least 38 unemployed men of around Rs 2 crore by promising them jobs abroad.

According to police officers, Ayre and her two absconding accomplices, Aman Kamlamiya Sheikh and Jigneshkumar Rathwa, opened an office in Malad and heavily advertised on social media, offering jobs in Gulf countries for positions such as kitchen staff, drivers, housekeeping staff, storekeepers and security guards in reputed hotels.

The gang posted fake positive reviews online and provided a link for applicants to register. Many job seekers from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune and other cities applied online or in person, submitting their passports along with fees for registration, visas, medical tests and other charges.

Within days, the victims received appointment letters and visas by email. However, after verification, the documents were found to be fake. When some of the victims rushed to the Malad office, they discovered that the company had been shut down and the accused had fled. Each candidate had reportedly paid between Rs 4.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. Following complaints from about 38 victims, the Malad police registered a case of cheating and embezzlement against the accused.

Senior Police Inspector Drushyant Chavan said he directed the crime team to track down the absconding suspects. During a special operation, Ayre was located and arrested. Interrogation revealed that some of the defrauded money had been transferred to her bank account, confirming her direct involvement in the crime.

Ayre had earlier applied for anticipatory bail in the sessions court, but her plea was rejected. She was produced before the Borivali magistrate court and remanded to judicial custody. The case was filed in May 2025. 

Mumbai: The Bandra police have registered a case against four employees of ‘Max Packers and Movers’ for allegedly cheating a customer. While shifting household items from Mumbai to Lonavala, the accused allegedly broke open a bag and stole gold and silver ornaments worth Rs.16.15 lakh. Max Packers and Movers is a company based in Kandivali East that offers services for relocating household items from one location to another.

According to the FIR, the complainant, Manasi Kulkarni, 46, a yoga teacher residing in Bandra West, contacted ‘Max Packers and Movers’ on August 9 to arrange the transport of her household items from her residence to Lonavala, where her father lives. On the same day, the company sent four employees identified as Pappu, Pradeep Kumar, Khan and Ajay to her Bandra home.

While packing the luggage, one of the workers requested some old clothes for his father for him. Kulkarni gave him a bag containing her father’s old clothes. After loading the belongings into a tempo, she travelled with them to Lonavala. In total, there were seven people in the vehicle, including the driver.

She had kept ornaments and important documents in a travel bag. When she tried to keep the travel bag with her in the cabin, an employee assured her that, since the bag was locked, it could be safely placed at the back. She informed them that it contained valuables and specifically requested them to take special care of it before placing it behind and she sitting in the driver’s cabin.

On the way to Lonavala, one employee alighted at Kalanagar, Bandra East, around 5.30 p.m. carrying a bag of old clothes. When she asked why he had got down, the others told her he was in a hurry for some work and immediately restarted the tempo.

The tempo reached her father’s Lonavala residence at around 9 p.m. After unloading the items, Kulkarni returned to Bandra on August 10, as she did not open the languages immediately.

On September 3, she went to Lonavala again. On September 7, while checking the bag containing her documents and ornaments, she discovered that its lock had been broken and the valuables were missing. She alleged that the accused had transferred the ornaments and documents to the bag of old clothes taken by the employee at Kalanagar. The stolen items were worth around Rs.16.15 lakh.

Following the discovery, she lodged a complaint with the Bandra police against the four employees Pappu, Pradeep Kumar, Khan and Ajay — who had come to her house. Based on her complaint, the police registered a case under Sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 3(5) (act committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on September 15.

Navi Mumbai: The Crime Branch Unit-3 has arrested a jewellery store driver for allegedly staging a robbery and siphoning off gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 5.90 lakh in Panvel.

The accused, identified as Shailesh Dilip Kamble (38), an employee of B.B. Banthia Jewellers, had falsely claimed he was robbed by two unidentified men near Khanda Colony railway bridge on September 11.

Police said Kamble was assigned to collect jewellery and cash from the company’s offices in Khanda Colony and Kalamboli. Instead of delivering it, he allegedly hid the valuables inside the dickey of his electric TVS iQube scooter.

Later, he fabricated a story that two men on a Pulsar motorcycle, wearing helmets, had accosted him at knifepoint and snatched the ornaments and money. Based on his complaint, a case of armed robbery was registered at Khandeshwar Police Station.

A parallel investigation was carried out by Crime Branch Unit-3 under the supervision of ACP (Crime) Ajaykumar Landge and Senior PI Avinash Kaldat. During the probe led by API Pawan Nandre, PSI Abhaysingh Shinde, and their team, several discrepancies were found in Kamble’s statement.

No suspicious movement or persons were seen at the alleged crime spot, further raising doubts. On sustained interrogation, Kamble confessed to staging the robbery and handed over the jewellery hidden in his scooter.

“The accused tried to mislead police by staging a dramatic robbery, but his version was full of inconsistencies. He finally admitted to the crime and the entire amount has been recovered,” said ACP (Crime) Ajaykumar Landge. Police said Kamble has been arrested and further investigation is underway.