2 held for posing as food inspectors

Two persons were arrested by the Oshiwara police on Friday for allegedly impersonating as Food and Drug Administration officials and trying to extort Rs 50,000 from a bakery in the area.

Two persons were arrested by the Oshiwara police on Friday for allegedly impersonating as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials and trying to extort Rs 50,000 from a bakery in the area. The arrested persons identified as Anirrudh Kamble (28) and Aavez Ansari (25) were part of a group of four,which went to the bakery.

While two were arrested after the owner became suspicious and called the police,the other two managed to escape before the police arrived.

The four went to Raj Bakery on S V Road with fake identity cards. They told the owner that they had received complaints about the goods he was selling and that they would run tests on them. They also warned that if the samples returned positive,they would close his shop, senior police inspector D K Rupawate of Oshiwara police said. While the owner tried to reason with them they asked him to pay Rs 50,000 to ensure his shop remained opened.

The owner became suspicious when the accused asked for Rs 50,000 and he asked for their identity cards again. This time he closely checked their cards and became suspicious and called us immediately, Rupawate said.

A team of officers was then dispatched to the spot. When the accused saw the police,two of them escaped. Ansari and Kamble were nabbed while escaping.

We have booked them under Sections 420 (cheating),170 (personating a public servant) and 385 (putting person in fear of injury for extortion) of the IPC. We are also trying to trace the other two persons, Rupawate said.

Ansari and Kamble were produced in court on Saturday and have been remanded in police custody till March 19.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram