Con artist Md. Abdul Sadar under police remand on Tuesday, September 6. Seized fake IDs seized from his possession. (Morung Photo)
DIMAPUR, SPETEMEBR 6 (MExN): Police investigating into the case of a con-artist who had duped a church off its funds has further revealed the shady life of the impostor and his other ‘exploits’. The local dailies had on September 2 carried a report about a cheat, impersonating as a retired army officer by the name of ‘Major Leo David’ decamping with more than Rs. 27 lakh of church funds belonging to Nagamese Baptist Church, Padumpukhri and his subsequent arrest from Tinsukia in Assam on August 31. He had posed in other instances, as a lieutenant colonel and a subedar major in the army.
The investigation revealed that he has as many as seven aliases ranging from Karate Master, Suresh Sharma, Ranjit Dutta, Dr. Salim Khan, Kudi, Raju and Leo David. His real identity according to the police is Md. Abdul Sadar from Udali Gaon, Lanka, Nawgaon in Assam and has not even cleared high school. He is also wanted by the Assam Police.
According to a press statement from the Additional Superintendent of Police, following the receipt of complaint from the church on August 19, two more FIRs were received against the man on August 23. One was lodged by the wife of the impostor and the other by one Kikheho Awomi. “In the first FIR received on 23rd Aug 2011, the wife of the accused has lodged complaint against her husband for cheating her by lying to her and her family that he is a retired Army officer in the rank of Major and keeping her in the dark about his real identity and his criminal activities and also for abandoning her and their newborn baby.
Also, another complaint was received from one Kikheho Awomi stating that on 10th April ‘2011, the conman had swindled an amount of Rs. 5,60,000/- from him after promising to deliver two Trucks and two jeeps from Army auction after which the conman disappeared.” In the latter case, however, police said that the amount was actually delivered to the conman on the condition of buying favours in the army establishment for recruitment, which never was.
Prior to his arrest from Tinsukia, police had searched his house at Nagarjan. During the search various dubious articles and documents were discovered. It included, one unauthorized VIP beacon light, a baton usually carried by army officers, one Army officer lanyard of dark blue colour, fake CSD seal for Defence personnel, a driving license issued from Assam under the name of Ranjit Dutta, one Army camouflage shorts, a portrait of the accused in Army officer’s fatigues, one fake Identity Card of National Cadet Corps in the name of Captain Salim Khan, one fake Ex-Serviceman Identity Card in the name of Major Dr. Suresh Sharma of AMC, one fake passport in the name of Suren Sharma in Army uniform and one ex-serviceman Identity Card in the name of Md. Salim Khan.
Further interrogation of the accused revealed that he was born on 1st January, 1960 and had studied up till class eight at his home town in Nawgaon. He ran away from home at the age of fifteen landing up in Shillong where he worked at a tea stall at the Assam Regimental Training Centre Cantonment. Thereafter, he joined the Territorial Army and in the process learned martial arts.
Later in 1995, he returned to his home town claiming to be a retired army man. He married a widowed wife of an army captain and started teaching martial arts to kids in the neighbourhood. The following year, the family moved to Dimapur settling down at Sewak colony. There again he started imparting martial arts lessons to kids at the Dimapur Club.
Six years later, they shifted to Khatkhati; the reasons for which were not disclosed. According to his statement to the police, he was arrested twice by the Khatkhati police in two separate cases of crime. The first was relating to an arms case and the second in 2004 relating to vehicle theft, for which he served two prison terms totaling five years.
Released from confinement, there was no end to his life of crime. He got lured to the rather lucrative business of posing as middle man for recruiting young lads into the army, in exchange for money. To buy the trust of people, he posed as a retired army officer. “He stated that he has cheated a number of victims in the process and collected a few lakhs of money from these victims.”
He shifted base to Dimapur in 2009 under a new identity, where he met and married his present wife, setting up shop (M/S World Cosmetics) at Nagarjan. He is also said to have divorced his first wife around that time.
After their marriage, the couple became active members of the Nagamese Church at Padumpukhri. Only he had other intentions. He gradually gained the trust of the church members, who inducted him into the church building fund raising committee.
He stated that he devised the plan to cheat the church by forging a bid for an Army Auction Tender with other forged Army documents. With this, he was able to convince the gullible members of the church building committee. “Thereafter he collected the money from the church promising an early delivery and disappeared.” He fled to Tinsukia, where he changed his name to Salim Khan. Posing as a retired subedar major in the army he obtained a fake ID under the fictitious name. With the swindled money, he also bought a brand new vehicle (a Mahindra jeep) which was impounded by the police.
The investigation revealed that he has as many as seven aliases ranging from Karate Master, Suresh Sharma, Ranjit Dutta, Dr. Salim Khan, Kudi, Raju and Leo David. His real identity according to the police is Md. Abdul Sadar from Udali Gaon, Lanka, Nawgaon in Assam and has not even cleared high school. He is also wanted by the Assam Police.
According to a press statement from the Additional Superintendent of Police, following the receipt of complaint from the church on August 19, two more FIRs were received against the man on August 23. One was lodged by the wife of the impostor and the other by one Kikheho Awomi. “In the first FIR received on 23rd Aug 2011, the wife of the accused has lodged complaint against her husband for cheating her by lying to her and her family that he is a retired Army officer in the rank of Major and keeping her in the dark about his real identity and his criminal activities and also for abandoning her and their newborn baby.
Also, another complaint was received from one Kikheho Awomi stating that on 10th April ‘2011, the conman had swindled an amount of Rs. 5,60,000/- from him after promising to deliver two Trucks and two jeeps from Army auction after which the conman disappeared.” In the latter case, however, police said that the amount was actually delivered to the conman on the condition of buying favours in the army establishment for recruitment, which never was.
Prior to his arrest from Tinsukia, police had searched his house at Nagarjan. During the search various dubious articles and documents were discovered. It included, one unauthorized VIP beacon light, a baton usually carried by army officers, one Army officer lanyard of dark blue colour, fake CSD seal for Defence personnel, a driving license issued from Assam under the name of Ranjit Dutta, one Army camouflage shorts, a portrait of the accused in Army officer’s fatigues, one fake Identity Card of National Cadet Corps in the name of Captain Salim Khan, one fake Ex-Serviceman Identity Card in the name of Major Dr. Suresh Sharma of AMC, one fake passport in the name of Suren Sharma in Army uniform and one ex-serviceman Identity Card in the name of Md. Salim Khan.
Further interrogation of the accused revealed that he was born on 1st January, 1960 and had studied up till class eight at his home town in Nawgaon. He ran away from home at the age of fifteen landing up in Shillong where he worked at a tea stall at the Assam Regimental Training Centre Cantonment. Thereafter, he joined the Territorial Army and in the process learned martial arts.
Later in 1995, he returned to his home town claiming to be a retired army man. He married a widowed wife of an army captain and started teaching martial arts to kids in the neighbourhood. The following year, the family moved to Dimapur settling down at Sewak colony. There again he started imparting martial arts lessons to kids at the Dimapur Club.
Six years later, they shifted to Khatkhati; the reasons for which were not disclosed. According to his statement to the police, he was arrested twice by the Khatkhati police in two separate cases of crime. The first was relating to an arms case and the second in 2004 relating to vehicle theft, for which he served two prison terms totaling five years.
Released from confinement, there was no end to his life of crime. He got lured to the rather lucrative business of posing as middle man for recruiting young lads into the army, in exchange for money. To buy the trust of people, he posed as a retired army officer. “He stated that he has cheated a number of victims in the process and collected a few lakhs of money from these victims.”
He shifted base to Dimapur in 2009 under a new identity, where he met and married his present wife, setting up shop (M/S World Cosmetics) at Nagarjan. He is also said to have divorced his first wife around that time.
After their marriage, the couple became active members of the Nagamese Church at Padumpukhri. Only he had other intentions. He gradually gained the trust of the church members, who inducted him into the church building fund raising committee.
He stated that he devised the plan to cheat the church by forging a bid for an Army Auction Tender with other forged Army documents. With this, he was able to convince the gullible members of the church building committee. “Thereafter he collected the money from the church promising an early delivery and disappeared.” He fled to Tinsukia, where he changed his name to Salim Khan. Posing as a retired subedar major in the army he obtained a fake ID under the fictitious name. With the swindled money, he also bought a brand new vehicle (a Mahindra jeep) which was impounded by the police.
