Mumbai, February 7: In a significant breakthrough, the Kurar police have exposed a major fraud targeting television actress Neha Malik in the Malad area of Mumbai. The culprits, part of a fake packers and movers gang, posed as a reputable transport company to gain the trust of victims before absconding with valuable household items.
Actress Neha Malik, also known as Khushi Chaudhary, reached out to a company named “Infield Logistic Packers and Movers” through an online platform on December 27. Residing in the Mauli Apartment in Malad, she needed to shift to a new flat in Lokhandwala, Kandivali, and transport jewelry, clothes, and other belongings to Uttar Pradesh for a family wedding. The accused, Vaibhav Singh, claimed to be the owner of the company and assured her of low-cost relocation services.
On January 4, while in Uttar Pradesh, Singh sent workers to Malik’s home, presenting themselves as packers. They packed her belongings, including clothes, makeup kits, shoes, bags, paintings, mirrors, and valuable antiques, into 18 bags. Previously, Malik had transferred ₹11,700 online via QR code for the moving service. After seeing the valuable items, the workers planned to demand more money for the move. The next day, they inflated the bill to ₹25,506, citing weight and size as reasons.
When Malik raised objections and requested her items back, the accused began to evade her. Despite multiple attempts to contact them, neither her belongings were delivered nor returned. The workers hid all the valuable boxes taken from her flat in a warehouse at Samarth Building in Andheri, Mumbai. After repeated inquiries, the accused stopped answering her calls.
Subsequently, Malik filed a complaint at the Kurar police station. The police initiated an investigation and recovered her belongings from the Samarth Building. Senior Police Inspector Sanjeev Tawde stated that the police, based on technical surveillance and investigation, located the stolen items in a warehouse. Following a search operation, one of the accused was arrested, and the items were seized.
On January 28, police arrested Vijay Ramavatar Pal (40), a laborer and active member of the gang, who was directly involved in packing and transporting the items. The mastermind Vaibhav Singh and two other accomplices remain at large, and efforts to locate them are ongoing. All items were returned to the actress on February 2.
The Kurar police have urged citizens to thoroughly investigate and verify the documents of packers and movers companies when seeking their services, as gangs committing fraud through online platforms are increasingly active.
Actress Neha Malik praised the Mumbai police, stating that the Kurar police worked tirelessly to expose the gang and safely return her belongings, many of which were extremely valuable.