07 September,2026 07:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Police personnel with the arrested suspects (hooded), including Shabina Hafiz Shaikh (face covered). Pic/By Special Arrangement
Andheri police busted a "Special 26" style gang that posed as Income Tax and Crime Branch officers to pull off a fake raid. The gang targeted a medical equipment company in Andheri East, allegedly demanding Rs 1 crore from the owner.
On July 17, the gang allegedly stormed the office at Sahar Cargo Estate in Chakala. Company owner Rajkumar Kandasami, 49, was informed that Income Tax officials had entered the office and was allegedly threatened over the phone and asked to reach there.
[popcorn number="July 17" desc="Day when the fake raid was conducted" class="Default"]
When Kandasami and his wife reached near their residence, two men in plain clothes allegedly approached them, identified themselves as Income Tax officials, and showed an identity card. The couple was then allegedly forced into an Uber and taken to the office. The group allegedly seized their phones and those of employees, restricted their movement, questioned staff and examined company documents.
One accused allegedly produced a purported search warrant and obtained Kandasami's signature. The group allegedly questioned him about cash transactions, threatened him with a substantial penalty and then offered to settle the matter for Rs 1 crore.
After the complaint was registered, Andheri police began working on the suspects' technical and physical trail. The team analysed call detail records (CDRs), mobile numbers, dump data, cell-ID and location inputs, besides examining CCTV footage from the incident location and suspected routes. "CCTV footage from government and private cameras was used to reconstruct the movements of the accused," a police officer said. The investigation was divided among teams working in Andheri, Vile Parle, Pune and Nalasopara.
Police first traced Santosh Uday Khopatkar, 37, and Vinay Ramesh More, 37, in Mumbai and seized their mobile phones for digital evidence.
Key accused Prem Kisan Sabnani, 50, had switched off his mobile phone, leaving police without a live location. However, his earlier CDR and cell-ID data showed that most callers linked to his number were around Pune's Sinhagad Road.
When police reached the area, they searched for Mumbai-registered vehicles, as Sabnani had earlier been staying in Mumbai. They spotted his scooter and used its registration details to trace his residence.
Sabnani was brought to Andheri police station for questioning, following which his alleged involvement in the fake raid emerged and he was arrested.
The investigation then moved towards tracing the women allegedly involved in the operation.
Pragya Harish Maine, 27, was traced and arrested in Andheri East.
Reshma Shyamrao Warang, 41, was traced and arrested at her residence in Nalasopara.
Shabina Hafiz Shaikh, 48, was also arrested.
Jitendra Namdev More and Ashok Vithoba Shinde have also been identified.
Both are already in judicial custody in another case registered at Manpada police station.
Police are probing the wider network and role of each accused.
They are seeking fake IDs, government logos, rubber stamps, letterheads and search-warrant documents.
Seized phones are being examined for calls, WhatsApp chats and financial transactions.
Police are checking if the gang targeted other businessmen using a similar method.
They are also verifying persons allegedly linked to the Income Tax Department mentioned during interrogation.
PSI Rohan Surve
"We had the CDR and cell-ID inputs showing that most of the callers were in the Sinhagad Road area. When we reached there, we started looking for Mumbai-registered vehicles because Sabnani had earlier been staying in Mumbai."
