The Badlapur East Police arrested four individuals for allegedly attempting to extort ₹50 lakh from a former corporator in Badlapur by threatening to make his obscene photos go viral. The accused have been identified as Akshay alias Bakari Govind Jadhav, Ronit Adarkar, Deepak Waghmare, and Pushpar Kadam.
According to the police report, a former corporator from Badlapur received a video call from an unknown number last month. The video showed obscene photos with a woman. The unknown caller allegedly threatened to make the photos go viral unless ₹50 lakh was paid. Initially, the corporator thought it was a hoax and ignored the demand. However, the caller continued to press for the extortion money, prompting the corporator to approach the police station and file an FIR on February 12.
The police began investigating the case using technical intelligence and eventually traced the main suspect's location. A team was formed and a trap was set at various locations, leading to the arrest of the four individuals on March 11. The accused were produced in court and remanded into police custody until March 15. During the preliminary investigation, the police discovered that the suspects had made the calls from different locations, including Dadar, Badlapur, Wangani, and Karjat.
The police further revealed that two of the accused, Akshay and Deepak, had a criminal history. They were previously involved in a dacoity case registered at Shivaji Nagar police station. Both were released on bail and went on to commit the extortion offense. Additionally, an FIR has been registered against Pushkar under the provisions of the NDPS Act in Andhra Pradesh.
Kiran Balwadkar, the police inspector, stated that they formed four teams. With the help of technical intelligence, tower location data, and local informers, the police successfully apprehended the accused.
