Trying to impress his employer to secure his job proved costly for a senior citizen. The Crime Branch Unit 2 arrested him for asking his friend to call and abuse his boss. Naushad Patel had thought he could help her with the investigations to demonstrate his loyalty. On December 26, a 45-year-old founder of an NGO and a member of a Mohalla Committee, lodged a complaint with VP Road police, claiming she was receiving harassing calls from an unknown number. "The person called the woman a sex worker. After she stopped receiving calls, she received text messages from the same number," said an officer.

Unit 2 in-charge Inspector Sanjay Nikumbe, Assistant Police Inspector Santosh Salunkhe, Sub-Inspector Atish Lohkare and Constable Hridaynarayan Mishra began the probe. "Patel, her secretary, seemed over-enthusiastic. He kept telling us to find the culprit as soon as possible. We found this strange," said an officer.