Geeta Patel, a resident of Bhayandar, used to lure her victims, make them touch her, and threaten to ‘expose’ them if they did not part with the most valuable items on their person

Police have arrested a 50-year-old woman for duping people after befriending them. The accused, a resident of Bhayandar, used to commit the crime after getting close to the victims in the jurisdiction of MHB police station.

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Geeta Patel (50) had worked a detailed modus operandi and targeted only elderly males

The accused has been identified as Geeta Patel, who has one daughter and three sons all of them married while she has not been talking to her husband from the past six years. Patel used to come regularly to the MHB area from Bhayandar, and targeted only elderly males.

Sources revealed that she used to feign a fall, so that the victims came to help her. She would then request her victims for a lift, which they could not refuse, as she would pretend to be hurt. She later used to get down in any random building, which had no watchman available.

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In the investigation, it has also come to light that the accused was helped by another man, who used to tip off Patel about buildings which did not have a watchman.

False alarm

After getting down from the victim’s car, the woman used to request the victims to drop her to her doorstep, as she was injured and needed help. The victims would follow her and the moment she would climb the stairs, she used to touch the victims and make them come close to her.

When they tried to come closer, she would threaten to scream. Victims would get scared with her behaviour, and taking advantage of that, she used to make away with gold chains, gold rings or imported watches from

the victims. In these encounters she also found victims who did not get threatened by Patel’s behaviour, but she managed to flick gold items from them too.

These incidents came to light when a 57-year-old businessman approached the MHB police last month. The victim had been duped by the woman and had lost his gold chain, which weighed around 100 grams. On August 9, when the victim again saw the woman, jogging in the same area, he asked a vegetable vendor and a rickshaw driver to keep a watch on the woman, and then called the police.

Copspeak

The MHB police took her immediately into their custody. After an investigation, Patel’s modus operandi was revealed. “When she was escorted to the police station, victims, who fell in the trap with the same modus operandi from February till August, (were identified).

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Three victims have fallen prey to her modus operandi and were summoned for identification, who later confirmed that she was the same woman,” said Police Sub-inspector (PSI) Ganesh Phad of MHB police station.

Investigating officer Assistant Police Inspector (API) Mangesh Satarkar pointed out that areas under the jurisdiction of Dahisar, Borivli, Kandivli and Malad have similar cases registered, and the police will now demand her custody in their respective cases. Further investigation is in process, under Senior Police Inspector Subhash Chavan. Police have recovered some gold from the accused.