Sacked driver ‘raids’ ex-employer in 'Special 26' style, demands Rs 1 crore; two IT officials held
A salary dispute allegedly turned into a high-stakes extortion plot in Mumbai, with a sacked driver and two serving Income Tax Department officials among 10 people arrested for allegedly trying to extort Rs 1 crore from a businessman, police said on Thursday.
The accused allegedly posed as Income Tax and Crime Branch officers, stormed the businessman's office and threatened him with legal action unless he paid the money.
Ex-driver allegedly hatched plot
According to police, Santosh Uday Khopatkar, 37, a former driver of businessman Rajkumar Kandasami, 49, allegedly masterminded the plan after being dismissed without receiving six months' salary.
Police said Khopatkar used information he had about his former employer and brought together nine other people to execute the alleged extortion attempt.
Fake officials ‘raid’ businessman’s office
The group allegedly entered Kandasami's office posing as Income Tax and Crime Branch officials and showed fake identity cards.
The accused allegedly confined Kandasami and his wife inside the office, seized the mobile phones of the couple and 10 employees, and prevented them from leaving, police said.
They allegedly threatened the businessman with action by the Income Tax Department and demanded Rs 1 crore to make the purported case go away.
Police track gang through technical surveillance
Kandasami approached the police, following which a case was registered for offences including criminal conspiracy, impersonation of a public servant, trespass, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and extortion.
Using technical surveillance, police arrested Khopatkar along with Vinay Ramesh More, 37; Prem Kisan Sabnani, 50; Pragya Harish Main, 27; Reshma Shamrao Warang, 41; and Sabina Hafiz Shaikh, 48.
Two serving IT officials arrested
During questioning, police allegedly found that two of the accused were serving in the Income Tax Department.
Andheri Police subsequently arrested Income Tax Inspector Suresh Mahavirprasad Mishra, 57, and Tax Assistant Sunil Manohar Gore, 59.
Police also arrested Jitendra Namdev More alias Jitu, 52, and Ashok Vithoba Shinde, 57, taking the total number of arrests in the alleged extortion conspiracy to 10.
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