E-Paper
Pune police officer suspended for sexual assault alleges extortion by complainant
Suspended API alleged that complainant asked for Rs 50 lakh
A woman, along with four others, were booked on Sunday for allegedly extorting Rs 50 lakh from an assistant police inspector (API), whom she had accused of sexual assault in February 2019.
According to police, the accused have been identified as Sonali Manoj Sonawane, a resident of Loni Kalbhor; Rahul Bhagwan Vetal and Ratnamala Bhagwan Vetal, both residents of Kawdipat, Kadamvak vasti; Malan Ganesh Pawar, a resident of Pasalkar vasti in Loni Kalbhor, and Vikas Ishwar Tupe, a resident of Sadesatra Nali, Hadapsar.
The inspector was working at the Ankit Katraj police outpost under the Bharati Vidyapeeth police station. He was suspended after Sonawane accused him of sexual assault.
The suspended officer had first come in contact with the woman in 2014 while he was working at the Hadapsar police station as a police sub-inspector, according to his complaint.
The suspended API has also submitted a voice recording of the conversation with Sonawane. The policeman alleged that Sonawane demanded Rs 50 lakh for a garment shop that she had started. The alleged conversation took place at 11:22am on January 27, 2019, said police.
A case under Sections 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code was registered at Bharti Vidyapeeth police station against the accused. The case was registered at 11:10pm on Sunday night.
In his complaint, the policeman mentioned that he assumed that Sonawane’s threat for extortion was jovial in nature. However, with an alleged intention of robbing him of his government job, the woman lodged a complaint of sexual assault against him in February 2019. Subsequently, a case under Sections 376 (sexual assault), 417, 323 (vaoluntarily causing hurt), 506(2) (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code was registered at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station against the policeman.
