CP Rakesh Maria transferred Senior PI Vikas Sonawane to local arms unit after it emerged that two of his juniors were allegedly involved in extortion racket, and one of them refused to register sexual abuse case
Reacting to the alleged misdemeanours at the Khar police station, Commissioner of Police, Rakesh Maria, has transferred the head of the station, Senior Police Inspector Vikas Sonawane, for negligence. Sonawane’s juniors, API Subhash Samant and PI Mahendra Nerlekar, allegedly ran an extortion racket along with a builder and a local goon from Bandra to extract money from a real estate agent.
API Subhash Samant gave the ACB a slip when they had set a trap to nab him in the act of accepting money
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The complainant, Sanjay Pawar, owns an office in one of the buildings belonging to a builder Vijay Arora. Arora wanted Pawar to vacate the space and, along with his driver Mahesh Kamble, and cops Samant and Nerlekar, hatched a plan to extort money from him and get him to leave. Pawar went to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which laid a trap to catch Samant in the act of accepting money. But Samant managed to give officials a slip.
mid-day’s August 6 report
All of the accused are currently absconding, but have applied for anticipatory bail. Sonawane, who was in charge of Khar police, has been packed off to the local arms unit. An inquiry has also been initiated in the matter, and another inspector shall be given charge soon.
Punishment transfer
According to sources at Khar police station, Sonawane was well aware of this extortion racket operating under his nose. Sources said the senior cops had even warned Sonawane. He even knew that the ACB were keeping watch on the two cops’ activities.
A source added that seniors had even warned Samant and Nerlekar, and many in the police station knew about their extortion plan. Meanwhile, Pawar has alleged that he is getting threat calls for going to the cops.
Speaking to mid-day, Pawar said, “Yesterday (Wednesday), I got a call late in the night from a female friend of Nerlekar named Sonu. She threatened me, saying they (all the accused including Nerlekar) will be out in no time and would take revenge.
She demanded that I take back my complaint or face dire consequences.” Pawar also received a call from Kamble’s father, who issued the same threat. Khar police has registered a non-cognisable complaint in both these incidents.
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