Praffulla Mhatre and his men allegedly tried to extort cash and seize a flat from a Vashi-based developer; now they have been accused of molesting the victim's receptionist
Praffulla Mhatre and his men allegedly tried to extort cash and seize a flat from a Vashi-based developer; now they have been accused of molesting the victim's receptionistu00a0
On October 11, 2011, MiD DAY reported how police registered a complaint against Shiv Sena leader Prafulla Mhatre and seven other party men for trying to extort cash and grab a free-of-cost flat from a Vashi-based developer ('Cops book 8 Sainiks for extorting builder'). Three months later, the neta has been accused of molesting a receptionist in the same office.u00a0 
In trouble, again: In October 2011, Mhatre along with seven others, was
booked by the Kalamboli police on charges of demanding Rs 10 lakh and
a 2BHK flat for settling a dispute between the builder and certain clients.
File pic
The Vashi police have registered a case of molestation against Shiv Sena leader Praffulla Mhatre, a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) officer and Sena member Santosh Chinchulkar, and Trishal Nagpure. Nagpure has been arrested but Mhatre and Chinchulkar are absconding.
Last year, Mhatre along with seven others, was booked by the Kalamboli police on charges of demanding
Rs 10 lakh and a 2BHK flat for settling a dispute between the builder and certain clients.u00a0
As per the recent complaint, Nagpure, an associate of Mhatre and a Sena worker, went to Quality developer's office at Sector 17, Vashi. He introduced himself as Mhatre's aide. He then allegedly thrashed the office boy Satish Rane and damaged a landline phone.
Following this, he reportedly made vulgar remarks about receptionist Mohini Awale. "Nagpure said to me that he knew what my business was and asked me to go with him. He used expletives and grabbed me by the hand and tried to drag me away," said Awale.
Awale claims that after this she started receiving threatening phone calls. One of them was allegedly from the BARC office and the caller was Chinchulkar. "The callers claimed they were men of Mhatre's. They abused me. I then approached the Vashi police station but cops refused to register a case. Last week, I went to Belapur court and the court ordered the police to register an FIR against the accused.
Delayed action
According to Awale, the incident took place on August 18, 2011 but the cops acted on January 24, 2012, that too only after the court order.
The Vashi police have booked the accused (FIR copy available with MiD DAY) under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC. On Saturday, the police arrested Nagpure but the court released him on a bail of Rs 15,000. Mhatre and Chinchulkar are yet to be arrested.
"I don't remember anything about the FIR. Call me later," said Laxman Kale, senior inspector, Vashi police station, when contacted by this reporter.
The other side
"I have heard about the arrest of Nagpure. Police called him for a statement and then arrested him. I don't know the office of that builder. I don't know the complainant Mohini and even she doesn't know me. Then how I can molest and threaten her?" said Mhatre.
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