Man pose as ED officer, asks ex-MLC Anil Bhosale’s wife to pay ₹15 cr to bail him

Unknown persons posed as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers and demanded ₹15 crore from the wife of NCP leader Anil Bhosale to release him from an ED case. A case has been registered against the accused.

MUMBAI: A case has been registered against unknown persons based on a complaint lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after some persons posed as ED officers and demanded ₹15 crore from NCP leader Anil Bhosale’s wife to get her husband out of the ED case. The police said the accused even sent a fake identity card to the former MLC’s wife to gain her confidence that they were genuine ED officers.

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According to the police, the ED had arrested the former MLC, Anil Bhosale, then chairman of Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari bank, in March 2021, for allegedly siphoning ₹71.8 crore from the bank between 2016-19.

“The ED officials, while recording the statement of Reshma Bhosale, wife of Anil Bhosale, had told ED officials that on 23rd of October 2023, she was approached by some people posing as ED officials who even sent their identity cards to her through WhatsApp,” said a police officer.

The person later told her if she wanted her husband out, she should pay them ₹15 crore. She submitted to the agency the screenshot of the money demanded by the unknown accused.

“As the ED officers’ name and logo were used and a fake identity card was made, the ED officers approached us and based on their complaint we registered a case. We will investigate into the matter to find who they are,” said a police officer from Worli police station.

The unknown accused is booked under sections 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 419 (cheating by personation), 170 (personating a public servant), 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code and under various sections of the Information Technology Act.