Former cricketer held for duping over 100 people of Rs 1.07 crore

The Malad police arrested Arif Sayyed, a 30-year-old former cricketer from Maharashtra, for allegedly duping over 100 people of Rs 1.07 crore by asking them to invest in their company. According to police, Sayyed and his four accomplices would lure the complainants to invest Rs 1 lakh by promising them expensive gifts and stay in luxurious hotels in India and abroad.

Sayyed, a Powai resident, has played in the Kanga Cricket League and Giles Shield.

One of the complainants, 28-year-old Ruchit Tosani, told police that on January 27, he had visited a mall in the city, where a sales person had asked him to fill a coupon for a lucky draw and took his number.

On February 18, a woman from a company called Elite Group, informed Tosani that he had won movie tickets, passes to a popular amusement park and a family trip voucher for stay in a luxurious hotel in India. The woman further asked him to collect his gifts from their Malad office on February 23. On reaching the office, Tosani saw many people, who were promised of similar gifts, were present there.

Each of them was asked to pay Rs 1 lakh, in return for a 35-day stay in luxurious hotels in India and abroad for a five-year period and a one-year gym membership and some more gifts. To win the trust of the investors, the accused forged agreements and signed on them. However, when the investors did not get any of the gifts which were promised, they approached police in February, following which a first information report (FIR) was registered for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

The police conducted an inquiry into the case and nabbed Sayyed’s accomplices – Samad Khan, 31, Imran Malik, 24, Abbas Hussain Maula, 25, and Shabaz Riyaz Shaikh, 23 the same month.

The police traced Sayyed to Hyderabad, and he was arrested on Sunday by a team led by Gulzarilal Fadtare. On Monday, he was brought to the city and has been sent in police custody till Thursday.

Fadtare said, “The accused has been remanded to police custody for further probe. We appeal to all others duped by the accused to come forward and file a report.”

First Published: Apr 17, 2019 10:54 IST