Between April 2023 and February 2024, four distinct cases of cheating and impersonation were reported in Pune, India, in which Yemeni citizens visiting the city for medical treatment were conned by fraudsters posing as police officers.
The conmen, who spoke fluent Arabic, had allegedly tricked the unsuspecting medical tourists under the guise of conducting routine checks.
The probe, which involved the examination of footage from over 600 CCTV cameras, eventually took the police to a beach resort in Daman where they nabbed the culprits.
A large number of Yemen nationals and citizens from other West Asian countries who arrive in Pune for medical treatment stay in the Kondhwa area along with their families. Depending on the duration of the treatment, these families may extend their stay for longer periods.
The last incident had taken place, when a 52-year-old Yemeni national was targeted. When the man was passing walking around 4.30 pm, a car approached him from behind. A person got down from the car, identified himself as a police officer and started talking to him in Arabic.
On the pretext of checking his travel documents and the things he was carrying, the suspect took the victim’s identity cards and documents along with the Indian and foreign currency he was carrying and began to “check” them. All of a sudden, he got into the car and fled from the scene before the victim could react.
In September 2023, a 47-year-old Yemeni national was cheated of USD 4,000 (approximately Rs 3.4 lakh) in an identical manner in the city when Two men flashed identity cards before the victim and said they were police officers.
When the victim told them that he did not speak fluent Hindi or English, the men started conversing with him in Arabic. They said they wanted to inspect the money he was carrying and took the cash from him. Moments later, the duo fled with the money. One more similar case was reported that month and another in April 2023.
https://rb.gy/8lt029