70-yr-old cheat in cop net again

Arvind Mehta, a qualified chartered accountant, was 18 when he started conning people by issuing fake cheques. After seven arrests and three convictions, the 70-year-old is behind bars once again.

Personnel from the Worli police station arrested Mehta last week for allegedly issuing a fake cheque to a jewellery store in Worli. Preliminary investigations revealed that Mehta has at least 50 criminal cases registered against him.

According to the police, Mehta, who wears stylish clothes and speaks impeccable English, bought diamonds and gold jewellery worth Rs3,80,000 in mid-August. Two days later, two of his aides, who are yet to be traced, delivered a cheque of the Oriental Bank of Commerce at the store.

"When the store manager went to deposit the cheque, he was told it was a fake. In fact, Mehta didn't even have an account in the bank," said Tanaji Telvekar, sub-inspector, Worli police station.

The store owners then approached the police who went through the store's CCTV footage to identify Mehta. He was arrested on September 10, produced in court, and remanded in judicial custody.

Explaining his modus operandi, the police said Mehta would target departmental, electronic, and jewellery stores. He would impress the store owners with his fluent English and stylish clothes. "He would ask them to speed up the delivery process, claiming to be a busy businessman," said a senior officer.

"He was addicted to betting on horses and wanted money to live a lavish life," said Telvekar. The police are questioning Mehta to ascertain the whereabouts of his two accomplices.

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