Ex-cop’s son among 3 arrested for alleged extortion of film producer in Mumbai

The police is now on the lookout for the fourth accused in the case, who is a high court lawyer’s son.

The Malabar Hill police recently arrested two people, Jafar Vali Shaikh, 40, and Jatin Karmaveer Shel, 24, from Oshiwara, for allegedly raiding a film producer’s Walkeshwar flat posing as police officers, placing drugs there and extorting Rs 1.7 lakh from him in June. On September 21, another accused, Samir Shaikh, 44, who is the son of a former police officer was arrested. The police is now on the lookout for the fourth accused, who is a high court lawyer’s son.

Two of the accused, posing as police officials, discreetly placed drugs in the complainant’s wardrobe and then threatened to file a case against him if he failed to pay them Rs 5 lakh. (Bloomberg News / Representational Photo)

“Jafar and Shel were arrested on September 28. On Ocober 3, they were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days,” said a police officer.

The complainant, Varun Rajiv Mohata, 34, the advocate’s son and Shel are friends. “On June 8, Shel and the advocate’s son met at Mohata’s flat around 9.30pm. A while later, Jafar and Samir reached Mohata’s flat and said they were police officers. They showed him the Mumbai Police logo and said they would have to search his house, as they had received information about mephedrone being hidden there. During the search, they discreetly placed the drug in Mohata’s wardrobe and then threatened to file a case against him if he failed to pay them Rs 5 lakh,” the officer said. Mohata had Rs 70,000 and borrowed Rs 1 lakh from the advocate’s son and Shel and gave it to Jafar and Samir.

After they left, Mohata approached the police.

In the CCTV footage, the police saw the four accused entering Mohata’s building at the same time. Their call records also revealed that they had conspired together. “Jafar and Shel are informers and had attended raids with the police so they knew how to trap victims. The four had extorted money from others using the same modus,” the officer said.