GRP Constable Arrested For Posing As Mumbai DCP In 15-Year Swindling Scheme

The Mumbai police crime branch has arrested a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable, Mohammad Gaus Ibrahim Khatib, for allegedly posing as a high-ranking police officer for 15 years to swindle multiple victims. Khatib, 54, was arrested on June 26 at a five-star hotel in Santacruz after a businessman from Ghatkopar, Yash Madhura, grew suspicious of a business deal and reported him to the Mumbai police.

Khatib, a former national-level kickboxer, lived a double life by "promoting" himself from an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) to a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). Over 15 years, he used this fake identity to defraud businessmen and job seekers, amassing a significant fortune. He even attended public events and award functions, rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Shroff.

The scam unravelled when Madhura met Khatib at a party. Khatib, using the alias 'Dr' Raj Khatib, promised to help Madhura secure a Rs 1.5 crore business loan through senior bank officials. Madhura paid Rs 10 lakh during a meeting at a Santacruz hotel, which also involved Khatib's associates, fake doctor Dharmendra Kumar and Shahid Kapadia.

Khatib then tried to draw Madhura into another scam, offering to help him bid on a fictitious Nagpur property for an additional Rs 50 lakh. Suspicious of the request, Madhura visited the Mumbai police headquarters and met DCP (Detection) Raj Tilak Roushan, who confirmed that no such officer existed.

A crime branch team led by Police Inspector Ganesh Pisal set up a trap and arrested Khatib at the Santacruz hotel as he arrived to collect the money. The police also arrested his son, Masab Mohammad Gaus Khatib, 26, and seized fake Maharashtra police identity cards. However, the fake police uniform remains unrecovered.

Following his arrest, several other victims have come forward. Sikandar Kothari, a Gujarat resident, lost Rs 16 lakh to Khatib after being promised help in recovering money from a builder. Shrikant Patil, a Mumbai transport businessman, paid Khatib Rs 12 lakh after being promised police jobs for three of his relatives, who paid Rs 4 lakh each.

Nitin Chowdhury, a diamond trader from Gujarat, also lost Rs 10 lakh in a failed debt recovery scheme. According to the police, Khatib’s family resides in Pune, while he worked with the GRP in Mumbai. His accomplices would pose as senior bankers, central government officials, and Enforcement Directorate officers to extract money from victims.

Police have registered cases against Khatib under sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for impersonating a public servant, cheating, and cheating by impersonation. Investigators are also examining the possibility of invoking charges relating to organised crime.