The Khar police arrested five individuals for allegedly posing as crime branch officers and defrauding a lawyer of Rs.5 lakhs. Sandesh Maladkar, 51, was apprehended in Sindhudurg, while the other four suspects were arrested in Andheri.
The arrested individuals include Sandesh Maladkar and Prafull More, 46, both of whom are history sheeters involved in similar crimes. The other suspects are Vikas Surve, 39, Chetan Gauda,34, and Darshan Yagnik, 43. Maladkar was arrested on September 11, and the remaining four were apprehended on September 12. All accused have been remanded in police custody until September 18. The accused are residents of Kalyan, Santacruz East, and Mira Road.
On September 8, the victim, Shaikh, visited an ATM of Canara Bank on 16th Road, Khar, West to deposit money. After depositing part of the amount, he was accosted by two individuals claiming to be from the crime branch. They forced him into a waiting car, searched his bag, questioned him about the money, and threatened to file a case against him. They took his bag which contained Rs.5 lakhs and dropped him off on S.V. Road, Santacruz, West.
Following the registration of the case, the police launched an investigation and reviewed CCTV footage from the ATM. With the assistance of technology, they traced Maladkar to Achra village in Sindhudurg, Konkan, where he was arrested along with a motorcycle. Information obtained during the investigation led to the arrest of the other four accused from a hotel in Andheri. The police seized Rs.3.30 lakhs and a car used in the crime from the accused.
Datta Kokane, the investigating officer, stated, "During the investigation, we discovered that the accused owned a motorcycle. We identified the owner, who had given the motorcycle to his relative, which led us to Maladkar in Sindhudurg. The other accused were subsequently arrested. The accused used a rented car provided by More, who drove during the crime. An individual named Prasanna, who worked at the complainant's cousin's office, informed the accused about the complainant's ATM deposit. We will arrest Prasanna soon."
Raj Tilak Raushan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-9, noted, "Maladkar and More are history sheeters. A total of eight cases have already been registered against Maladkar in various police stations across Mumbai, and two cases have been lodged against More—one at Mira Road police station and another at Dahisar police station. Maladkar and More were involved in these cases together. We have added Section 111 (Organized Crime) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the FIR. Further investigation may reveal more suspects."
API Kokane led the operation under the supervision of DCP Raj Tilak Raushan and Senior Police Inspector Sanjeev Dhumal.
