Mumbai man poses as cop, extorts money saying victim was booked in rape case

Powai police officials said the incident took place on Sunday around 12.30 pm.

A 42-year-old man was recently arrested by Powai police for allegedly posing as a cop along with his aide and extorting money from a man saying that he had been booked in a rape case. The accused Vijay Tatkare was booked in a similar case around 12 years ago .

The accused had been booked in a similar case 12 years ago. (Pic for Representation)

Powai police officials said the incident took place on Sunday around 12.30 pm. The 45-year-oldvictim, who works as a manager in a private firm, was passing by the SM Shetty college in Powai. A police officer from Powai police station said, “The duo caught him and pretended to be cops. One of the wanted accused, Govind Chavan, was wearing a Khakhi pant and black shoes. The victim got scared on hearing they were cops. They told him that he had raped a woman in a lodge and they have received a complaint. The victim told them it’s a case of mistaken identity but they didn’t budge and took him in a rickshaw to Airoli and made him withdraw Rs7,000 from an ATM.”

Tatkare has been booked under IPC sections 170 (personating a public servant) 388 (extortion by threat of accusation of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life) and 389 (putting person in fear of accusation of offence, in order to commit extortion).

Tatkare was remanded to police custody and subsequently sent to judicial custody. The case is being investigated by assistant police inspector Nilima Jadhav. Tatkare in 2005 was booked in a similar case under section 170 and 420 (cheating) of the IPC by Sakinaka police station.