The ACB caught the accused on August 23, after the victim approached the agency on being asked to pay Rs 45 lakh more
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The Anti-Corruption Bureau caught a conman red-handed extorting lakhs of rupees from a civic official. A 28-year-old jobless MBA graduate and his female accomplice posed as ACB officials and extorted Rs 23 lakh from the BMC assistant engineer, 52, over the past three years.
The ACB caught the accused on August 23, after the victim approached the agency on being asked to pay Rs 45 lakh more. The extortion started on June 2, 2016, when Sudhir (name changed) received a phone call from one Mrs Dani, who claimed to be a sub-inspector from the ACB.
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She told Sudhir ACB has received a complaint against him. She called him again on August 4, 2016, and asked him to meet her in a hotel in Worli. "When I met her, she introduced me to her senior, Thombre. He said if I wanted the complaint suppressed, I had to pay them," Sudhir said.
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Sudhir paid Rs 2 lakh on August 6, 2016, and another Rs 5 lakh on January 30, 2017. Ten months later, Thombre met Sudhir and demanded R15 lakh, which the latter paid. Then Sudhir decided to put a stop to the extortion when Thombre called him on August 16, 2019, claiming that an inquiry had been initiated and he must pay Rs 45 lakh to shut the case. Sudhir approached the ACB only to learn that there was no complaint against him. ACB officials decided to catch Thombre red-handed so they asked Sudhir to call him on August 23 and pay Rs 6 lakh. They caught Thombre when he accepted the money from Sudhir at CSMT.
The ACB handed the accused, identified as Rahul Santosh Sharma from Chira Bazar, to the Azad Maidan police. Dani is still absconding.
Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Man steals from employer, fakes a flash rob in Santacruz
Rs 23 Lakh
Amount he extorted from official
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