MUMBAI, Nov. 13 -- He pulled off an elaborate con by posing as an intelligence officer and promising property deals at throwaway prices. But before he was unmasked, Rupesh Prabhakar Chaudhary died suddenly, leaving many questions unanswered. On Monday, police posthumously charged Chaudhary and three others, including his wife, with impersonation, cheating and forgery. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police, investigating the case, registered a case against Rupesh Chaudhary; his wife Nicky Chaudhary, a resident of Nashik; Prabhakar Shetty, a resident of Goregaon east; and Rolland Karkada, a resident of Dahisar. Police said Chaudhary, who indeed had friends in high places, had allegedly deceived 15-odd individuals and cheated them of Rs.17 crore. A resident of Nashik, Chaudhary deceived his victims for two and a half years, claiming he was an officer with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), India's domestic intelligence agency. He had allegedly promised several persons apartments in towers in Mahalaxmi, Worli, Dadar, Parel and Walkeshwar, in projects under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the state housing agency. He claimed he was friends with an IAS officer posted in MHADA and could get the flats at cheap rates. As part of the deception, Chaudhary appointed bodyguards, used a vehicle with a beacon, posed with senior police officers, and even claimed to have enrolled at the Nashik Police Training Academy. Police said the complainant, Mohammad Aslam Qureshi, 45, a hotelier, was scouting for investment opportunities and was introduced to Chaudhary by Karkada in January 2023. Posing as a senior IB officer, Chaudhary told Qureshi he could help him with lucrative deals in prestigious properties under MHADA. "When Qureshi met Chaudhary outside the Old Customs House at Fort in South Mumbai, Chaudhary was accompanied by five bodyguards and was carrying a firearm. This convinced Qureshi that he was an IB officer," said the official. After paying a large sum of money, Qureshi at some point started demanding sale deeds for these properties, but Karkada and Shetty told him Chaudhary was a high-ranking officer and was busy, said a police officer. Qureshi had also got several of his friends to invest in these alleged properties and was growing worried. It was more than two years before Qureshi sensed something was amiss. Chaudhary had shown him photos of him posing with senior police officers and ministers, and appeared to wield considerable clout. Indeed, Chaudhary had influential friends and once even introduced Quereshi to the ambassador of an African nation, police said. The deception was so effective that when Chaudhary asked Quereshi, who often travelled to Dubai, to arrange airline tickets, visas and accommodation for a senior police officer for a trip to Dubai, Quereshi not only agreed but played the perfect host. This was in 2023. When Chaudhary threw a birthday party for his daughter in Mumbai, Qureshi, whose wife works in the television industry, invited several celebrities, including actors, to the bash. In another confidence-building move, Chaudhary helped Qureshi's uncle recover money that was parked with friends, said the police officer. All this while, however, Chaudhary kept dodging queries from Quereshi on the promised sale deeds. "He kept giving various dates for registration of the properties but avoided meeting Quereshi every time. Finally, he agreed to meet on July 18, 2025, said the officer. "On that day, Chaudhary sent Quereshi a 'good morning message' at 4.35 am. However, at around 9 am, Chaudhary's staff informed Qureshi that Chaudhary was no more," said the police officer. Quereshi approached the police in Nashik and Mumbai on August 26. After preliminary investigations, an FIR was registered on Monday. "In his complaint to the police, Qureshi had stated that he suspects foul play in Chaudhary's death but the post-mortem report states that Chaudhary died of natural causes," said a police officer. The EOW has booked the four accused - Chaudhary's wife and two associates - under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. They have been charged with criminal breach of trust, stolen property, cheating, cheating by impersonation, forgery and criminal conspiracy....