Fake police officers rob land dealer of Rs 5L in Kalyan, eight held

Kolsewadi police with the arrested accused. Pic/By Special Arrangement

A promise of easy profit turned into a trap for a Pune-based land dealer who was robbed of Rs 5 lakh by a gang posing as police officers in Kalyan. Swift coordination between police units led to the arrest of eight accused within 36 hours, after dramatic highway interceptions.

According to Kolsewadi police, Deepak Maruti Shinde, 46, a land dealer from Wagholi in Pune, was contacted by a man identifying himself as Sayeed Ahmed from Solapur on February 20. The caller offered a cash exchange deal - Rs 7 lakh in small denomination notes in return for Rs 5 lakh - promising Shinde a profit of Rs 2 lakh.

Believing the offer, Shinde arranged the money. Near the Royal Residency in Kalyan East, around 3 pm, a white Scorpio with a "POLICE" plate arrived. Men posing as officers slapped Shinde, snatched the bag with money and fled. When the repeated calls to the numbers used to contact him went unanswered, Shinde grew suspicious and approached the Kolsewadi police, who launched an investigation.

Police operation

"The investigation team tracked the suspects' movements through mobile phone analysis and coordinated with multiple police units to intercept the vehicles and arrest the accused," an officer told mid-day.

First arrests

(Scorpio intercepted near Somatne Phata)
>> Sanjay Bhosale, 56, - Gauripada, Kalyan
>> Gauspak Ghulam Hussain Shaikh, 36 - Gauripada, Kalyan
>> Sominath Tulshiram Gaikwad, 50, - Mohane
>> Arvind Nagnath Georget, 39 - Indiranagar, Kalyan

Second arrests

(Ahilyanagar-Shirdi road blockade)
>> Umashankar Hanuman Prasad Pandey alias Pappu, 51, - Vadolgaon, Ulhasnagar
>> Sharad Kumar Mohan, 46, - OT Section, Ulhasnagar
>> Naresh Sharma, 45, - OT Section, Ulhasnagar
>> Laxman alias Pradeep Vishwanath Dhanve, 38, - Ulhasnagar

Seizure

>> Rs 2.36 lakh from stolen cash recovered
>> Two Scorpio SUVs seized
>> Nine mobile phones recovered
>> Probe on to trace the remaining money and possible similar crimes

Feb 20
Day the accused approached the victim