Pimpri-Chinchwad: Four tourists travelling from Pune to Lonavala on Sunday were allegedly kidnapped, threatened with being framed in a fake drug case and asked to pay ₹5 lakh by men posing as Highway Safety Patrol personnel. The victims were rescued after one of them sent an SOS through his smartwatch, prompting the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police to launch an immediate rescue operation. The incident occurred near Kamshet in Maval tehsil on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway.
Bhushit Umesh Sharma (28), a resident of Viman Nagar, Pune, lodged a complaint at Kamshet Police Station under the Pune Rural Police. Based on his complaint, a case has been registered against three police personnel and three Home Guards attached to the Highway Safety Patrol. Their identities are yet to be established.
According to police, Bhushit's friend Mohammad Kashan Azmi (28), his wife Faiza Jamil (27), and Mohammad's brother-in-law Syed Zubair Ahmed (31), all residents of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, had come to Pune for a visit. The group was travelling to Mapro Garden in Lonavala in a car (MH-12/WZ-1692).
While they were travelling on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, a police vehicle allegedly chased them near Kamshet before blocking their car. Six personnel were inside the vehicle—three wearing white shirts with khaki trousers and three in khaki uniforms. Their jackets bore the words "Highway Traffic Police".
The personnel searched Mohammad and found a packet of cigarettes. They allegedly claimed that the packet contained ganja and threatened to book the group under narcotics laws. They then allegedly demanded ₹5 lakh to avoid legal action.
According to the complaint, the tourists were held for nearly seven hours and were not allowed to contact anyone. They were allegedly taken to an ATM in Talegaon to withdraw money.
Unable to use their phones, Mohammad Kashan Azmi discreetly sent an emergency alert using his smartwatch. Since the group was in the Talegaon area, the SOS reached the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Control Room.
Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey immediately directed teams to trace the location. Three DCPs also joined the operation. Realising that the victims had alerted the police, the accused allegedly fled the spot. The tourists were rescued safely.
Initially, police suspected the crime had been committed by impersonators. However, based on the victims' statements and CCTV footage, investigators concluded that those involved were personnel attached to the Highway Safety Patrol.
A case has been registered at Kamshet Police Station under Sections 127(2), 308(2), 352, 351(2), 351(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.
