Mumbai, Jul 14 (PTI) The Mumbai police have arrested a man hailing from Punjab for allegedly posing as the personal assistant (PA) of a Maharashtra MLA and cheating people on the pretext of seeking financial help, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Bhalindra Pal Baldev Singh Sehgal (44), is a resident of Mohali in Punjab. He was arrested from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and was brought to Mumbai for questioning, they said.
Complainant Tushar Girish Madivediya (46) and his friend Bharat Ratilal Shah received phone calls from the accused, who allegedly introduced himself as the PA of BJP MLA Sanjay Upadhyay from the Borivali assembly constituency in Mumbai. At times, he is also suspected to have posed as the legislator himself, a police official said.
The accused sought financial assistance, claiming the money was urgently required to pay the fees of a female student studying at Lucknow University, he said.
Believing the claim, Madivediya transferred some amount to the bank account of the accused. The accused subsequently convinced Shah to transfer Rs 8,000 through a digital wallet on the pretext of booking a hotel in Lucknow.
Based on the complaint, Borivali police registered a case and launched a technical investigation, which led to the arrest of the accused in the Uttar Pradesh capital, he said.
Police suspect Sehgal may have targeted several other victims using a similar modus operandi by impersonating a public representative or his aide to gain their trust. PTI ZA NP
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