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, who were unknown to the foreigners whom had offered to stand surety for them in return for money but proved to be conmen themselves as they had produced fake property records for standing guarantee, 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 6.6 crore worth of diamonds from an international exhibition at Goregaon last year and are 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 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," said senior inspector Milind Khetle 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.