Victim says doors, lift were locked after he asked for a bill; police examining CCTV footage for further details; the complainant and victim, Kiran Patthe, had booked a room at the lodge for one Pramod Prem, his chartered accountant (CA), who had travelled from Delhi to Mumbai for work
Dhavalgiri lodge in Mulund East
A 56-year-old Mulund resident was allegedly confined inside a lodge after requesting a payment receipt from the receptionist. The incident occurred on Thursday night at Dhavalgiri Lodge in Mulund East. The complainant and victim, Kiran Patthe, had booked a room at the lodge for one Pramod Prem, his chartered accountant (CA), who had travelled from Delhi to Mumbai for work.
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In his statement, Patthe said they checked into the lodge around 8.30 pm, where he presented Prem’s identification cards before heading to the room to leave the luggage. While Prem stayed in the room, Patthe returned to the reception to make the payment. The amount was R2,500, which he paid and requested a payment receipt in return. Patthe claimed that his request for a receipt was denied, and instead, they refunded his money. Shortly after, one of the men at the reception called a woman and explained the situation. Over the phone, which Patthe overheard, the woman reportedly said, “Don’t provide any receipt to him.”
During this time, Patthe claimed that one man locked the main door of the lodge, and then he locked the lift.
“I was trying to run outside, but they locked the gate. When I tried to head towards the lift to go upstairs to my CA, they locked that too,” Patthe said. “I stayed at the reception for a long time, asking them why they were doing this, but they didn’t respond,” he added.
Patthe then dialled 100 (police helpline), and soon two officers from Navghar Police arrived to rescue the victim.
Police identified the man who locked the gate as Ramesh Narayan Vadatkar, 40, a receptionist at the lodge, while the woman who was instructed to confine the victim was identified as Sangita Dhaval, the wife of the lodge owner.
“The victim was trapped or confined between 9.15 pm and 9.55 pm, at a place he entered voluntarily. Therefore, it cannot be classified as kidnapping. Instead, we have booked the accused under Section 127(2) (wrongful confinement) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, 2023,” said PI Manoj Chouhan of Navghar police station.
Officials are still uncertain about the reason behind the victim's confinement, with a possible angle suspected to be an attempt to avoid GST-related issues by not providing the bill.
“The investigations will reveal the motive. We have requested the CCTV footage, and the statements of those involved will be recorded soon,” said an official.
He also mentioned that both individuals have been issued summons to cooperate with the investigation, as the charges carry a potential sentence of up to seven years. “If they breach the summons and fail to cooperate, they will be arrested,” the official added.
56
Age of the victim
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