Andheri Police Arrest Five For Posing As I-T, Crime Branch Officials In ₹1 Crore Extortion Bid

The Andheri police have apprehended five individuals involved in a scheme to pose as Income Tax and Crime Branch officials. The alleged extortion attempt resulted in the abduction of Rajkumar Kandasami, a businessman from Andheri, and his wife. On July 17, the incident occurred at Two M Ophthotronics Pvt Ltd in Sahar Cargo Estate, Chakala. The accused forcibly took Kandasami and his wife to the office and seized their mobile phones.

After confining the employees to the office premises, the suspects examined documents and projected a search warrant, which Kandasami was coerced into signing. The fake raid persisted for more than three hours, during which the accused restricted the movement of the employees and demanded an extortion amount of `1 crore. Once satisfied, the suspects left the scene.

To apprehend the culprits, investigators scrutinized call records, location data, and CCTV footage, leading to the arrest of Santosh Khopatkar, Vinay More, Prem Sabnani, Pragya HM, and Reshma Shyamrao Warang. These suspects were apprehended in Mumbai, Pune, and Nalasopara. Authorities are presently searching for counterfeit IDs, government logos, and documents while investigating whether other businesses were similarly targeted.