Mumbai: Over 2,500 slum residents duped in fake ‘Ladki bahin’ scheme scam

The Nehru Nagar slum in Vile Parle West. According to the Juhu police, this area alone accounts for 500 ‘beneficiaries’. Pic/Shirish Vaktania

The Juhu police have arrested three people after busting a racket where slumdwellers were lured into opening bank accounts on the pretext of being made Ladki Bahin Yojana beneficiaries. Police said more than 2500 such accounts were created, with some appearing to have been sold to cyber fraudsters and money launderers.

The accused, who operated from Surat, Gujarat primarily, targeted residents of Mumbai's slum areas, including Nehru Nagar, DN Nagar and Dharavi. According to the police, the gang lured victims by promising monthly financial benefits under the ‘Ladki Bahini Yojana', convincing them to open bank accounts where they would receive R1500 every month. After a ‘beneficiary' opened a bank account, they were paid R1000 and were told they would receive the dole after a few months. However, the accused later sold these accounts to those indulging in cyber fraud and money laundering.

Investigations revealed that some bank managers failed to perform due diligence and verification, especially in slum areas. So far, the police have frozen more than 100 active bank accounts linked to the scam. Interestingly, though the actual Ladki Bahin Yojana is meant for women, most of the victims of the fraudsters are men, who were told they would be paid Rs 1500 per month.

Chain of events

The case came to light when Wakil Sayyed Khan, 22, a labourer residing in the Nehru Nagar slum in Vile Parle West, filed a complaint. On February 13, his wife was informed that people in their area were receiving Rs 1500 per month under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. When they inquired, they were instructed to open a new bank account using new SIM cards and submit their Aadhaar and PAN cards. Wakil accompanied his wife to the bank and opened the account. The accused then handed him Rs 1000.

On February 15, Wakil contacted the person again to help others open bank accounts. When the individual returned to Nehru Nagar, residents grew suspicious and informed the Juhu police about him. Police Inspector Pravin Patil and API Ranjeet Chavan of the Juhu police station rushed to the scene and took the suspect into custody. He was identified as Avinash Amrut Kamble, 25, a delivery executive residing in Vasai. Kamble revealed that he was opening accounts under the instructions of Falguni Joshi, Ritesh Joshi, Pratik (last name unknown) and Shruti Ravi Raut, residents of Juhu. He admitted to receiving R4000 for each account opened.

A police officer said, "Avinash Kamble approached slum residents and offered them R1000 in cash for opening bank accounts, which he later sold to others for Rs 4000 each."

The investigation

Senior Inspector Sunil Jadhav of Juhu police station formed a team comprising PSI Sharad Landge, PI Pravin Jadhav, and Constables Nitin Mandekar, Amit Mahangade, Arjun Ghadigaonkar, Akash Dhodke, Amol Helkar and Anil Tayde to probe the matter further. During the investigation, Kamble confessed that they specifically targeted uneducated slum residents. After the accounts were opened, the gang collected SIM cards linked to bank accounts and documents, including passbooks, Aadhaar cards and PAN cards. Kamble sold the accounts to Ritesh Joshi and Shruti Raut, while Falguni Joshi paid him a commission of R4000 per account.

PSI Landge of Juhu police station said, "We contacted banks and froze all accounts opened by the accused. We also raided Shruti Raut's residence and seized multiple passbooks, debit cards and SIM cards. Falguni Joshi was also arrested, and several passbooks were seized from her residence. So far, we have frozen more than 100 bank accounts and seized R19,43,779 from various accounts. Transactions amounting to crores of rupees have occurred through these accounts, many of which are linked to cyber fraud, money laundering, trading and black money conversion."