This one comes straight out of Special 26, the 2013 Bollywood film based on the 1987 heist at Opera House in Mumbai. But there are some differences. The film, written and directed by Neeraj Pandey which had several big actors like Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher and Manoj Bajpai, was about a fake raid by a group of criminals posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers who looted polititcians and businessmen of black money.
The scammers in the film, after the raid on the top jewellery house, collect the cash and jewellery and just evaporated - never to be seen or caught.
In a similar vein, on Monday, four persons including a woman, masquerading as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers carried out a fake raid and looted a Mumbai bullion dealer in Zaveri Bazaar of gold and cash worth over Rs. 2 crore.
The suspects entered the room, slapped a worker and started the fake raid - and vanished with the booty. However, acting swiftly, the LT Marg police station arrested a couple of the three suspects, including the woman.
The Mumbai Police said they have registered a case against the accused under sections 394, 506 (2) and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code.
“We have recovered Rs. 15-Lakh cash and around 2.70 kgs of the stolen gold. We suspect there may be other associates involved in this operation and are on the lookout for them,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Abhinav Deshmukh.
The Zaveri Bazaar-Opera House area is known for the jewellery and diamonds market - one of the biggest in the world.