Leader of “fake police” gang that kidnapped, robbed Versova resident arrested

The accused introduced himself as a policeman from the narcotics department and threatened to book and arrest Savla in a drugs case and demanded ₹50 lakh if he wanted to save himself from the case, deputy commissioner of Police Raj Tilak Roshan said

MUMBAI: The Mumbai crime branch on Monday arrested the mastermind behind the six-member gang, who allegedly kidnapped a 26-year-old posing as a policeman from the narcotic department from a restaurant and bar in Versova, demanding a sum of ₹50 lakh by threatening to implicate him in a drugs case. A manhunt is on for the rest of the members.

The leader of the six-member Deepak Vilas Jadhav, 36, a native of Washim district of Vidarbha region. (HT Photo)

The gang members coerced the complainant to transfer a sum of ₹5.3 lakh through G-Pay and RTGS transactions to their bank accounts.

The complainant Yash Savala, 26, a resident of Andheri, helps his father in running the family’s stationary shop.

The incident occurred around 8pm on June 30 when Savla went to a restaurant and bar in Versova from where he was forced out by six people who posed as policemen and made him sit in an auto.

All six boarded in two autos and took Savala from Andheri towards Kurla. The accused introduced himself as a policeman from the narcotics department and threatened to book and arrest Savla in a drugs case and demanded ₹50 lakh if he wanted to save himself from the case, deputy commissioner of Police Raj Tilak Roshan said.

Salva transferred a sum of ₹3 lakh from G-pay and ₹2.3 lakh from RTGS transition, a total of ₹5.3 lakh in their bank accounts. The accused then went to Savala’s residence in Andheri and asked him to pay the rest of the money through a cheque. When the accused started threatening his family members, he issued them a cheque of ₹7 lakh. The cheque, however, was not withdrawn.

The accused again took Savala with him and left him in Kurla, said Roshan. Savala discussed the incident with his friend, who advised him to approach the police, as the friend suspected the people who kidnapped and robbed him would be frauds. He then contacted a senior officer in Unit 9 of the crime branch, and a case was registered in the Versova police station on July 9.

The police checked CCTV footage of the spots mentioned by Savala and inquired with several people. Police inspector Daya Nayak arrested the mastermind of the gang Deepak Vilas Jadhav, 36, a native of Washim district of Vidarbha region, who claims to have studied engineering.

A police official said that he had a similar case registered against him registered by the DN Nagar police station last year.

It appears that the accused had robbed several others with a similar modus operandi in the past, and we are questioning Jadhav to get the details, and a manhunt has been launched for his accomplices, said Roshan.