Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 18: In a shocking case of fraud and extortion, a man allegedly impersonated a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official by using the identity card of his deceased brother and attempted to extort ?10 lakh from local shopkeepers.

The accused, identified as Mudassir Shabbir Bhaldar, reportedly misused his late brother Muzammil Bhaldar’s BMC identity card between September 2023 and August 2024. By falsely presenting himself as a civic official, he allegedly threatened shopkeepers in Fatima Manzil, claiming that their shops were illegal and could face demolition.

To strengthen his threats, he reportedly lodged a complaint against the shopkeepers with the BMC's ‘B’ Ward. Subsequently, he demanded a ?10 lakh bribe to withdraw the complaint and prevent any action against them.

One of the affected shopkeepers, identified as Ali Mehandi Javed Abedi, approached the authorities and filed a complaint against Mudassir. Other shopkeepers targeted in the scam include Mohammed Nanji (Shop No. 02), Shakeel Hussain (Shop No. 06), and Iqbal Khan (Shop No. 03).

Following the complaint, Dongri Police have registered an FIR against Mudassir Bhaldar and initiated further investigation into the matter.
More details awaited.