Mumbai: Weeks after a 40-year-old tarot reader was allegedly extorted of Rs 2 lakh at a bungalow in Aarey Colony, the Aarey police have arrested five primary suspects, including a retired police officer and a journalist. The victim, the wife of a well-known dentist from Lokhandwala in Andheri West, had been lured to the location in February under the pretext of a professional consultation.
The suspects arrested have been identified as Eric Vegas, 60, a retired assistant police inspector; Swapnil Nadekar, 38, a social worker; Kavita Yadav, 40, who operates a drug de-addiction centre; Pradip Pathak, 36, a self-proclaimed journalist; and their accomplice, Rahul Kambli, 41. The breakthrough in the case follows the initial arrest of Farhan Kadri, 33, who was apprehended immediately after the woman filed her complaint in February.
Investigations revealed that the extorted money had been transferred into Kadri’s bank account. During interrogation, Kadri provided leads that eventually helped the police track down the remaining members of the gang. The police said the incident dates to February 15 when one of the suspects contacted the complainant, claiming his elderly parents required a tarot reading. She was called to Villa No. 415, Royal Palms, in Goregaon East. Upon her arrival, she found four men and two women present.
The group allegedly threw a packet of drugs towards her and threatened to implicate her in false narcotics and prostitution cases, said senior police inspector Ravindra Patil. Frightened, the woman transferred Rs2 lakh to the provided account before being allowed to leave.
The investigation, led by assistant police inspector Sachin Panchal, revealed that Yadav runs a de-addiction centre in Dahisar East and has a prior criminal record for a similar offence at the Bhayandar police station. All five persons arrested have been remanded to police custody till April 3.
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