Mumbai: Maharashtra police on Thursday claimed to
have pre-empted an escape bid by two foreigners who were
trying to arrange surety from two persons to get out on bail.
The two persons whom they did not know and who had
offered to stand surety for them on financial consideration
proved to be conmen themselves as they had produced fake
property records for standing guarantee for the two
foreigners, police said.
The two foreigners Mexican national Gonzalez Maldonado
Mauricio and Venezuela national Gutierez Orlando were part of
the gang of four who had stolen Rs 6.60 crore worth of
diamonds from an international exhibition at Goregaon last
year and were serving a 21-month imprisonment awarded to them
by a local court. They had appealed to the high court against
the lower court order.
Meanwhile, the high court allowed them a bail on a
surety of Rs 1 lakh each. Two of the four foreigners managed
to get in touch with two persons from Buldhana who offered to
stand surety for them even when they did not know each other.
However, Surendra Ingale and Shaikh Jakir Gafoor who
offered to stand surety for the two foreigners were arrested
by cops at Khamgaon city police station in Buldhana district
as they were found to have allegedly submitted fake property
documents while standing as surety.
"They got fake documents in connivance with Khamgaon
revenue department officials. They are also not the friends of
the two foreigners but stood as surety as they would be given
money for this job," Milind Khetle, senior inspector, told PTI
adding the two foreigners would have escaped if they were
released on bail.
Learning this, revenue officer Shobha Chavan lodged an
FIR at Khamgaon police station following which the duo was
arrested, police said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 06, 2012, 00:04