Four Vasai policemen arrested for extortion bid

The police said the complainant Madan Varma, who is a driver by profession, was on his way to the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to pick up his employer when the four men intercepted him.

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They forcibly got into the car, identified themselves as policemen and threatened to implicate him in a gutkha smuggling case unless he paid them money.

The accused also assaulted Varma, the police said.

When they did not find much cash in his possession, they allegedly forced him to withdraw Rs 25,000 from an ATM on the highway after which they left. Varma then approached the Kasa police, and gave them the licence plate number of the car that the accused were driving.

Using the registration details, the police picked up one of the four accused, who was found to be a traffic police constable. Inquiries with him led to the other three accused, who are his colleagues.

“We immediately registered an FIR and arrested the four accused based on the statement given by the complainant. We then sought, and were granted their custody and are now conducting further inquiries against them,” said Suvez Haque, Superintendent of Police, Palghar.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com