Two men on a motorcycle approached Muktabai Wetal (65), a vendor of potatoes and onions in Kalina, around 9 am yesterday. They told her they were from an NGO that disbursed Rs 500 to every senior citizen in Mumbai. According to the Vakola police, the men spoke clearly and fluently.

The duo then took out a 500-rupee note and asked Wetal to remove the gold chain around her neck to ‘bless’ the amount, as a good luck charm. Convinced of their ‘noble motive’, Wetal did so. The accused then took out a black plastic bag and put the money and the chain, worth Rs 50,000, inside it.