Two arrested accused, who claimed to be officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, were caught red-handed in the act of accepting a pay-off of R4 lakh from a temple trustee
Two arrested accused, who claimed to be officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, were caught red-handed in the act of accepting a pay-off of Rs 4 lakh from a temple trustee
Two conmen were arrested by the Borivli police on Wednesday at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, for trying to extort money from the trustee of a well-known Ganesh temple by posing as officers from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Busted: The Borivli police arrested the men posing as police officers who
asked for Rs 4 lakh as a bribe
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Cops have launched a manhunt for a third accomplice, who fled from the spot.
The accused have been identified as Mahendra Lagade (30), employed for the past decade as a security guard at the park, and Prakash Arthale (41), a painter.
According to the complaint lodged by Balchandra Bhandari (39), Lagade and Arthale visited the temple on August 24, posing as officers from the ACB.
They demanded to be given Bhandari's phone number, and when the temple staff turned down their request, they extracted it by threatening to take action against them."
"A local had written a letter to the ACB, lodging a complaint against Bhandari. No case was filed, however, and Bhandari had not been booked. The conmen called up Bhandari on August 28, and arranged for a meeting at Raj Mahal hotel in Borivli (West) on August 31. They asked for a sum of Rs 15 lakh as bribe, claiming that payment of the sum would help Bhandari cover up the matter. After negotiations, they settled for a sum of Rs 4 lakh. Bhandari, however, suspected foulplay, and approached us," said Bhagwan Chate, senior police inspector of Borivli police station.
On the designated day, Bhandari reached the hotel to meet the duo.
"He was accompanied by policemen in civic dress, who nabbed the duo red-handed in the act of accepting the bribe. The third accomplice, Ram Sambhare, was keeping watch outside, and fled immediately," added Chate.
The two were booked on charges of extortion, and produced at court.
They have been remanded in police custody till September 6.
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