A large number of residents of Parel’s upscale L&T Crescent Bay complex, which comprises six towers of around 250 flats each, have filed a complaint at the RAK Marg police station as a milk vendor—Sarfaraz (surname unavailable)—who had been paid in advance for providing his services to numerous flats, has been untraceable for a fortnight.

Sarfaraz, the milk vendor 

They all said, “This is a concerning incident that has impacted our community and potentially several neighbouring societies. This vendor, operating in Crescent Bay, has allegedly absconded after collecting advance payments from residents for milk. Initial estimates show that residents have lost approximately R3 lakh collectively. Yet, we are sure the number will go up. The vendor accepted payments via Google Pay and cash in exchange for milk coupons. We follow the common practice of buying a booklet of milk coupons, paying in advance for the same. Sarfaraz had been supplying milk here since last year. All seemed to be going well when suddenly, he has been unreachable since March 1, leaving residents high and dry. We continue gathering data from affected individuals, (we have started a signature campaign urging those who have been scammed to sign up) so that the scale of the fraud becomes clearer in the coming days."