Thane police unearth bail fraud network at Thane court

THANE: The Thane Nagar police arrested a gang of five persons involved in fabricating fake documents and identification cards used to procure bail for undertrial prisoners.

The police suspect it to be a well-oiled cartel running in the court and just the tip of the iceberg. Further probe is likely to reveal the extent.

Those arrested have been identified as Hussain Varsi Ansari, 46, Aslam Noor Mohammad Mansuri, 58, Mehtab Hayder Naseem Naqvi, 41, Mehandi Hasan Iqban Hasan, 46, and Imtiaz Ahmed Memon, 49 (agent), said a police officer adding that some of them are from Mumbra and Mumbai.

The police stated that Ansari posed as a guarantor utilising fake documents that were reportedly prepared in a photocopy centre in Mumbra to manufacture counterfeit documents and identification cards. The scam was uncovered when a court staff suspected that the documents that were submitted for the bail of Ramesh Satyanarayan Yadav, an undertrial facing charges, including abduction, rape and criminal intimidation.

The police initiated the probe earlier this year and initially nabbed Ansari, who had acted as a guarantor using forged documents. He spilled the beans and named Aslam Noor Mohammad Mansuri, 58, Mehtab Hayder Naseem Naqvi, 41, Mehandi Hasan Iqban Hasan, 46, and Imtiaz Ahmed Memon, 49 who acted as an agent.

The gang's modus operandi involved creating counterfeit Aadhar cards, company identification cards, pay slips, and ration cards at a xerox shop in Mumbra. These documents were then utilized to mislead the court during bail proceedings.

The arrests have been made under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges for forgery, cheating, and using forged documents as genuine. The local police are persisting with their investigation to uncover the full extent of this racket and its potential impact on other court cases.