Slippery duo amassed Rs15 lakh using US $65

Bangalore: Managed to swindle bizmen, shopkeepers of the amount in just one week; used soap bars disguised as bundles of US currency, which they exchanged for cash
After dreaming up a elaborate scheme and using just US $65 and a few bars of soap, 31-year-old Shafia from Bihar and her associate swindled several unsuspecting victims of lakhs of rupees in a span of a week. Though the Central Crime Branch sleuths managed to nab Shafia and her associate on July 13, several more complaints have been pouring in from in and around the city.

Smooth operators: The accused even used bars of detergent in
between the paper bundles to make them heavy. Representation pic
The Fraud and Misappropriation wing of the CCB, which nabbed the accused, said that Shafia used to approach businessmen and shopkeepers seeking assistance to exchange US currency, as she was in urgent need of money.
"She feigned ignorance and acted like she was illiterate to lure the people. Once the victims fell for the ruse, she handed over the bundles topped off with a few US currency notes above and below," said a police official.
Outwitted
"The accused even used a few bars of detergent in between the paper bundles to make them heavy," said a CCB police officer, adding that she acted quickly and vanished after receiving the cash, but always before the victims realised what was happening.
Within a few days, Shafia managed to amass Rs 10-15 lakh and planned to flee the city before the police could act. Her luck ran out when alert shopkeepers in SJ Park informed the CCB while she was trying to clinch a deal. A team of CCB officials swooped down on her in a swift raid and caught her red-handed.
A detailed inquiry revealed that she had cheated around 10 people in and around city and pocketed around Rs 15 lakh. "We have so far received four complaints against her. Shafia and her associate Mustafa (22), have been remanded to judicial custody," the police said.