Cop suspended for blackmailing couple in Koregaon Park
According to the police guidelines, hotels are directed to collect personal documents like Aadhaar cards, driving licenses, and the phone numbers of visitors when booking hotel rooms
A police constable who was posted with the Local Intelligence Branch (LIB) at Koregaon Park police station has been suspended on charges of blackmailing and extortion by illegally obtaining personal information of guests staying at hotels in the locality.
The incident came to light when one of the harassed youths on Thursday approached Koregaon Park Police Station with a complaint against the constable identified as Sandeep Shinde alleging blackmailing tactics employed by the accused to harass and extort money from him.
According to the police guidelines, hotels are directed to collect personal documents like Aadhaar cards, driving licenses, and the phone numbers of visitors when booking hotel rooms. Shinde stands accused of using sensitive information for criminal activity.
Regarding the case, the hotel manager confessed before the investigators that he succumbed to constable Shinde’s demands fearing repercussions. It was revealed that the accused had sent several threatening WhatsApp messages to the victim and asked for a meeting.
Finding merit in the allegations against Shinde, DCP (Zone II) Smartana Patil ordered his immediate suspension.
“We verified the complaint and found that constable Shinde used confidential details to harass a man who had visited the hotel with a friend. A preliminary inquiry was conducted after which he has been suspended for his role in the case,” Patil said.