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Bangur Nagar police have arrested two men, Raj Singh  and  Prakash Gupta, for allegedly cheating a Goregaon worker of Rs 7 lakh by claiming they could turn plain paper into Indian currency using a “special chemical powder”.

Police said the accused first gained the trust of the 34-year-old Bharat Gas godown worker from Goregaon West through a series of demonstrations. In December 2025, they called him to Vasai and showed a trick where a Rs 500 note appeared to double after applying a chemical powder.

The Con: After winning his confidence, the man asked for a larger sum. They pack R7 lakh in Khaki paper bundles, say the “process” takes two hours, and leave — only for the victim to find the bundles filled with plain paper later. ILLUSTRATIONS/UDAY MOHITE

Over several meetings, they repeated the act with small amounts — first doubling Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 and then Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 — eventually showing nearly Rs 1 lakh as “doubled”. Since the notes were accepted in the market, the victim believed the method worked.

On February 12, the accused came to the victim’s house, applied powder to Rs 7 lakh, wrapped the cash in khaki paper bundles and sealed them, claiming the process would take two hours. When the victim opened them later, he found only folded white papers inside, but by then the accused had fled.

The Demonstration: To gain trust, the accused stages a demo — applying powder on paper and showing a Rs 500 note seemingly turn into two. Small amounts like Rs 10,000 are doubled to Rs 20,000 and then Rs 40,000, convincing the victim that the method works

Police later registered a case and arrested the accused. “We are now trying to recover the cheated amount and check if more victims were targeted using the same trick” said a police officer.

The accused, Raj Singh (left) and Prakash Gupta. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Arrest & investigation

FIR under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
Accused: Prakash Kumar Dilip Prasad Gupta, 25, from (Buxar) Bihar, and Raj Singh alias Rajsingh Manoj Singh Prasad, 47, from (Ghazipur), UP
The Mumbai Police traced and arrested the duo on March 8
Both are in police custody till March 14