Pune: ‘Bunty-Babli’ Iranian couple arrested for ‘checking’ Indian Currency, Stealing Cash
Sumit Singh
Pune, November 21, 2019: The Crime Branch of Pune city police on Wednesday night arrested an Iranian couple for allegedly stealing Rs 24,500 from a medical shop in Vadgaosheri. The couple wanted to ‘see’ Indian currency notes and then cleverly decamped with the amount while engaging the shopkeeper in conversation.
According to police, the incident took around 9 pm on November 18 at a medical shop near Suncity chowk in Vadgaosheri. The couple had identified themselves as foreigners from Turkistan and wanted to buy medicine. They told the shopkeeper to show them some Indian currency notes as they were eager to see them.
The unsuspecting shopkeeper took out a bundle of Rs 50,000, in the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 2000. While talking to the shopkeeper, the accused man allegedly kept Rs 24,500 and they left. After realising the theft, the shopkeeper lodged an FIR with Yerwada police station.
Police have identified the arrested persons as Mohammad Shamsabad Abolfazal (28)and his wife Reshma Ahmadi Firoz, both natives of Iran. They came to India on a tourist visa with their son and lived in a posh hotel in Delhi. They came to Pune on November 17 and stayed at a hotel on Dhole Patil Road, from where police arrested around 9 pm when they were going for dinner. Police have recovered Rs 24,500 from their possession.
Additional Commissioner of Police (crime) Ashok Morale, DCP (crime) Bachchan Singh, ACP Vijay Chaudhary, Police Inspector Anjum Bagwan, in-charge of Crime Branch Unit 4, supervised the investigation team which included Police Sub Inspector Vijay Zanjad, ASI Bhalchandra Borkar, Head Constables Jitendra Tupe and Hanumant Borate.
