A gang of racketeers portraying themselves as facilitators of loans to the financially distressed are purchasing mobile phones using their victims’ credentials and fleeing. Allegedly, the gang’s members, stationed in prominent digital electronic stores across various malls, play a crucial role in their illicit activities. The racket comprises a network of agents who lure unsuspecting customers, enticing them into obtaining loans using their documents. Subsequently, these agents purchase high-value items such as mobile phones using the customers’ credentials, only to disappear with the goods later on. Two digital goods shops in Andheri seem to be the central hub for this scam. Numerous victims have filed complaints related to the racket at the Amboli police station.

Two victims have approached mid-day, sharing their experiences. Arif Ansari, a 30-year-old food deliveryman, sought assistance from his colleague, Shakir Badshah Khan, in securing a loan for his wife’s treatment. After promising to arrange for the loan, Khan escorted Ansari to a shop on the ground floor of the Fortune Building in Andheri West. After submitting his documents, a loan of Rs 2.56 lakh was approved in Ansari’s name. However, he was perplexed when he was handed two iPhones and instructed to take a photo with one of them. Despite his confusion, he complied, only to have both phones taken from him afterwards by Khan. Despite assurances from Khan, Ansari never received the loan amount, discovering later that an iPhone worth Rs 2.56 lakh had been bought in his name.