Mumbai: Imposter cons senior photographer, escapes with camera

Accused Abhishek Kashyap

The MHB colony police are actively pursuing an individual who, under the guise of offering videography and photography contracts for concerts and events, has absconded with photographers' cameras. In a recent incident, the accused targeted a 60-year-old freelance photographer residing in Worli. The photographer was hired to cover the concert of renowned singer Javed Ali, held at "Kutchi ground" in Borivli last month, during which the accused disappeared with the photographer's camera valued at Rs 90,000.

According to police sources, Sunil Bhagwan Oval, working as a freelance photographer for years and residing at BDD Chawal, Worli, was contacted by the accused, who introduced himself as Vinod. His real name, according to the Aadhar card, is Abhishek Kashyap. The incident occurred on December 15 when Abhishek inquired about the contract. The deal was finalised for Rs 7,000, and Vinod requested two cameras - one for videography and the other for still photos.

In a conversation with mid-day, Oval recounted, "Vinod introduced himself as a photographer. I had planned to bring an assistant for the shooting, but he mentioned that the budget was tight and that he couldn't afford assistant charges. He proposed to handle still photos, while I managed the videography for the concert."

Arriving at around 6.45 pm, Oval provided him with one camera and its lens for still photography, while he began videotaping Javed Ali's live performance. Vinod instructed him to continuously record Javed's songs without interruption. After Javed sang four songs consecutively, Oval noticed Vinod was nowhere to be found. Despite searching the entire concert venue and attempting to contact him on the given number, which was later found to be inactive, Oval realised that Vinod had absconded with the camera. He promptly reported the incident to the MHB Colony police station, and a FIR was filed.

"I shared the incident and Vinod's information in my photographer group. I received information from a fellow photographer that Vinod is a professional fraudster who engages in deceptive practices by changing names. A few years ago, he had perpetrated a similar act in Goregaon, duping a local photographer. In that case, he had taken the photographer to Lucknow for a shoot and had absconded with six cameras. The victim photographer filed a complaint and shared the details with the police, leading to the arrest of the accused in Lucknow, where four cameras were recovered," Oval said.

He further added that he met the Goregaon-based photographer, who provided more details about the accused, including his photo and Aadhar card details, along with his active mobile number. Oval shared this information with the MHB Colony police officials. The duty officer contacted Vinod and summoned him to the police station. However, since then, the accused has switched off his phone and is currently on the run. The last known location of his mobile was in Mumbra. I am urging the police through this news report to apprehend the accused and recover the camera, as the camera was purchased through financing, and monthly instalments are being paid for it. I also want to make colleagues aware of such fraud.

"We have registered the case under section 406 of the IPC," said PSI Akhilesh Bombay, and his detection team is investigating the case, an officer from MHB police station added.

Rs 90K
Value of camera