Fake cop arrested for threatening couple sitting in car in Mulund

A journalist and her husband were sitting in their car when a man – disguised as a cop – approached them and clicked pictures of the vehicle. He also asked what they were doing in a parked vehicle.

Mumbai: A 31-year-old man was arrested, on Monday, for allegedly posing as a cop and threatening a couple sitting in their parked vehicle near Sardar Tarasingh Talav along Eastern Express Highway, Mulund (East). As per the police, the accused – identified as Navnath Maruti Shinde – tried to extort money from the couple.

Fake cop arrested for threatening couple sitting in car in Mulund

The incident occurred around 9 pm, a police officer said. A journalist and her husband were sitting in their car when Shinde – disguised as a cop – approached them and clicked pictures of the vehicle. He also asked what they were doing in a parked vehicle.

“When the woman asked Shinde – who lives in Sector 21 of Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai – to show his identity card, he got angry and pretended to call his senior,” said Uttam Rikame, police inspector at the Navghar police station. “While on the phone, Shinde said that a man was raping a woman in a parked vehicle, and he would have to fine them.”

The journalist then called the police control room and reported the incident. A police van patrolling nearby reached the spot and apprehended the accused. The accused was brought to the police station and during interrogation, he confessed that he is not a policeman and that he works in a private firm, Rikame added.

The officer said the sequence of events made it clear that the accused intended to extort money from the couple by threatening them and they are now checking if he has any past criminal record. He has been booked under sections 170 (personating a public servant) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal code (IPC).