'Special 26' Style Fraud In Andheri: 5 Held For Fake I-T Raid, ₹1 Crore Demand

Mumbai: It was straight out of Special 26, but this time the fake raid was real. Five people allegedly posing as Income Tax Department and Crime Branch officials abducted an Andheri businessman and his wife, conducted a fake raid at his company and demanded Rs 1 crore to avoid further action. The Andheri police have arrested five accused from Mumbai, Pune and Nalasopara in connection with the July 17 incident.

Fake raid mirrors film plot

The incident took place at Two M Ophthotronics Pvt Ltd in Sahar Cargo Estate, Chakala, on July 17, resembled the plot of Akshay Kumar-starrer “Special 26”.

According to the police, company owner Rajkumar Kandasami was informed by his employees that Income Tax officials had raided his office. He was allegedly threatened over the phone and ordered to reach the premises immediately.

Sub-inspector Rohan Surve said two men in plain clothes approached Kandasami and his wife near their residence, identified themselves as Income Tax officials, showed an identity card and forced the couple into a cab before taking them to the office.

Suspects conduct fake raid

The accused allegedly seized the mobile phones of the couple and employees, restricted their movement, questioned the staff and examined company documents. One accused allegedly produced a purported search warrant and obtained Kandasami’s signature.

The fake raid continued for more than three hours. The accused allegedly threatened Kandasami with a substantial penalty and then offered to settle the matter for Rs 1 crore. They left the premises around 8pm.

Police trace five accused

Police analysed call records, mobile numbers, dump data, location information and CCTV footage to trace the suspects. Five accused were arrested from Mumbai, Pune and Nalasopara.

They were identified as Santosh Khopatkar, 37, Vinay More, 37, Prem Sabnani, 50, Pragya HM, 27, and Reshma Shyamrao Warang, 41.

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Probe into wider network

Police are searching for fake identity cards, government logos, rubber stamps, letterheads and purported search-warrant documents.

The seized mobile phones are being examined for calls, WhatsApp chats and financial transactions to identify the alleged mastermind and other associates.

The police are also investigating whether the group targeted other businessmen. Claims about the involvement of persons connected with the Income Tax Department are being independently verified, and no conclusion has been drawn against them so far.

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