Bhayandar: The Thane (rural) police have apprehended a 28-year-old man for posing as a police officer and cheating a youth on the pretext of offering him a job in the police department of Mira Road.
In response to a complaint registered by Ganesh Jadhav (23), a police team led by Senior Police Inspector Shekhar Dombe laid a trap and arrested the accused who has been identified as Sanjay Vyenkatrao Manjule (28), a resident of Chowk village in Uttan near Bhayandar.
In his complaint, Jadhav has stated that after completing his 12th class, he was aspiring to get recruited in the police department. During one of his regular physical fitness sessions at the municipal stadium in Bhayandar (west), Jadhav was approached by the accused who donned a police uniform and identified himself as a sub inspector attached to the Mira Road police station. Under the pretext of helping the complainant secure a police job, the accused demanded Rs 3 lakh and took Rs 80,000 as advance to complete formalities.
However after taking the money, the accused started avoiding the job aspirant. Sensing something fishy, Jadhav decided to verify Manjule’s official position with the Mira Road police station and was shocked to learn that he was not a cop and had impersonated a police inspector with a sole intention of cheating him.
“Following the complaint, we immediately laid a trap and arrested Manjule who has been charged under sections170 (impersonating a public servant) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code,” said Dombe who has not ruled out the possibility of Manjule's involvement in other similar crimes.
Meanwhile, the accused was remanded to custody after he was produced before the District Sessions Court, Thane. Further investigations were underway.
