Pune: A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) has been booked for allegedly cheating a businessman of Rs 2.40 crore by promising high returns from a land deal in Khed tehsil. Police have registered a case against five people, including the former officer, his wife, and his son.
The complaint was filed by a businessman from the Manjari area at Chaturshringi Police Station (under the Pune City Police Commissionerate). According to police, the accused had earlier served in both Pune City and Pune Rural police units.
As per the complaint, the retired ACP approached the businessman earlier this year with an offer to invest in 12 acres of land in Boraj village of Khed tehsil. He claimed that the land belonged to a Mumbai-based businessman and assured that the deal would bring large profits.
Police said the accused first collected Rs 5 lakh in cash. He then took Rs 25 lakh through RTGS using a bank account allegedly opened in the name of a private company in Solapur. Officials said the account was fake and created to mislead the complainant.
Over time, more money was taken from the businessman on different pretexts. Later, claiming that the sale deed process was underway, the accused allegedly took Rs 1.35 crore in cash.
Owner Was Alive…
Investigators found that the land owner from Mumbai was alive, but the accused delayed the deal by falsely claiming that he had died. When the complainant started asking for his money back, the retired ACP allegedly avoided him and later issued threats, according to the complaint.
Police also said that part of the money was transferred into bank accounts belonging to the accused’s wife and son. Two other individuals who acted as middlemen in the deal have also been named in the case.
Police Sub-Inspector Jadhav is leading the investigation. Officials said further action will be taken based on financial records and evidence collected during the probe.
