The Kurla Government Railway Police (GRP) has arrested a 46-year-old woman for allegedly cheating another woman of gold and cash collectively worth '3.3 lakh, by promising her a high paying job and a house. The woman took the money and gold at different intervals, but then began avoiding the victim thus, the latter finally approached the police. According to senior PI Shivaji Dhumal, the victim, Supriya Sandesh Chavan (45), met the accused, who identified herself as Ranjana, in December last year. Chavan is a resident of Ramesh Seth Chawl near Durga Mata Mandir in Mumbra and works as a housemaid in Mulund. “The two met at Mulund station and began talking and developed a rapport. Over the next few months, they kept meeting at the station when Ranjana said she knew a place where the owners were offering a handsome salary. She, however, added that getting the job would require money. Ranjana then took cash in two installments of '20,000 and '50,000 from the victim, but there was no news on the job front,” Mr Dhumal said. “Later, to divert Chavan’s attention from the promised job, Ranjana spoke about cheap houses available in Mulund, and also showed her a few sites to gain her confidence. For the house, she took cash and gold worth '1.45 lakh and '1.20 lakh respectively,” said an officer. All the cash and gold was exchanged at Mulund station where the two met in the evenings. Chavan, who had become restless after getting no news on the job and house front, tried contacting Ranjana only to find her phone switched off. “She managed to speak to her once when Ranjana promised to return her the money and gold. However, she finally filed a complaint at the Mulund police station on October 1, which transferred the case to us since the money changed hands on the platform which falls under our jurisdiction,” the officer added. A team led by PI Sambhaji Jadhav laid a trap and held Ranjana — whose real identity is established as Varsha Manohar Gotal — a resident of Chinchpada in Kalyan. The police has recovered the gold and cash.
