My dad's friend from the 90s was the smoothest conman I've ever met

Growing up in Mumbai in the 90s, my dad had this friend, let's call him Mehta uncle. My father ran a small electronics shop, Mehta uncle was always dressed sharp in crisp suits, drove fancy cars, and had this way of charming absolutely everyone.

I was around 13 when I realized what he actually did. He was running this massive "import/export business" scam where he'd approach wealthy traders claiming to have contacts in Dubai and Singapore. He'd show them fake documents about electronics and gold shipments, take huge advance payments, and then vanish for months. He'd resurface in a different city, with a different name, and repeat.

One evening, he was at our house playing cards with my dad when there was a loud banging on the door. Two angry-looking guys were demanding to see him about some "business matter." Without missing a beat, Mehta uncle calmly walked to our back door, turned to me with a wink and said "Beta, life mein kabhi bhaagna mat, lekin kabhi kabhi tactical retreat zaroori hai". Then he disappeared into the night.

That was the last time I saw him. Years later, we heard he'd either moved to Canada or gotten caught in Hyderabad, no one really knows. My dad never spoke about their friendship after that night, but sometimes when we talk about my childhood, he gets this slight smile and says "Mehta toh Mehta tha" (Mehta was something else).

Looking back, I know what he did was wrong, but I've never met anyone else who could convince a room full of hardened businessmen to hand over lakhs of rupees with just his charm and a fake business card.