Fake RPF officer kidnaps labourer from train in Thane, demands Rs 10,000 ransom

A 27yearold labourer was allegedly kidnapped from a longdistance train in Maharashtrarsquos Thane district by a man posing as a Railway Protection Force RPF officer police said on Tuesday reported PTIThe accused allegedly assaulted the victim forcibly took him off the train at Kasara railway station and later demanded Rs 10000 from his family for his release reported PTIPolice have launched a search operation to trace both the missing labourer and the unidentified suspectLabourer taken off train after fake accusationAccording to police the incident took place on Sunday aboard the Hatia Superfast Express which was travelling from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to Hatia in Jharkhand reported PTIThe victim identified as Sunil Narayan Saw was travelling in the general compartment along with friends when an unidentified man approached him claiming to be an RPF officer reported PTIOfficials said the suspect was dressed in a green shirt and black trousers and accused Saw of allegedly teasing a female passenger on the trainThe accused then allegedly assaulted the labourer and forcibly removed him from the train at Kasara railway station claiming he was being taken to a police station for questioning reported PTIKidnapper demanded money through UPI transferAccording to the complaint filed by the victimrsquos cousin the accused later contacted the family using Sawrsquos mobile phone and demanded Rs 10000 for his release reported PTIThe caller allegedly told the complainant that the money should be transferred through UPI and threatened serious consequences if the payment was not madePolice said the complainant initially transferred Re 1 to verify the account details provided by the caller The amount was reportedly received successfully after which the accused continued making repeated calls demanding the remaining money reported PTIRealising that his cousin had likely been abducted the complainant approached the Asangaon Railway Police and lodged a formal complaintPolice register kidnapping and impersonation caseBased on the complaint police registered a case under sections related to kidnapping for ransom and impersonating a public servant under the Bharatiya Nyaya SanhitaOfficials said the case has been registered under Section 1402 which deals with kidnapping for ransom and Section 204 related to impersonating a public servantSenior inspector Sachin More said multiple police teams have been formed to investigate the case and trace the victim reported PTIldquoWe are conducting a probe into the case Multiple teams have launched a search for the kidnapped manrdquo More saidNo ransom paid so far search operation continuesPolice confirmed that the family has not paid the ransom demanded by the accusedInvestigators are currently analysing mobile phone details and digital payment records linked to the UPI account used by the suspectAuthorities are also examining CCTV footage from Kasara railway station and nearby areas in an attempt to identify the accused and trace the movement of the victim after he was taken off the trainThe incident has raised concerns over passenger safety on longdistance trains and misuse of law enforcement identities to commit crimesWith inputs from PTI