Man poses as CM Devendra Fadnavis’s aide, extorts Rs 3.2cr from contractor

MUMBAI: The Marine Drive police have arrested an Aurangabad resident who impersonated an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and under the pretext of clearing a private contractor’s pending PWD bills worth Rs 50 crore, extorted Rs 3.5 crore from a civil contractor.Even after paying Rs 3.25 crore in cash, the accused kept on demanding another Rs 75 lakh, threatening that the Rs 3.25 crore already paid would be lost and the pending bills would not be cleared if he failed to pay.The police arrested Asif Ismail Pathan (40), a native of Aurangabad. He was produced before the court and remanded to police custody. While seeking his custody, police said they are yet to arrest his accomplices, recover the cash, and recover the vehicle used in the crime. Police said that they suspect that the accused and his accomplices have cheated a few other people with a similar modus operandi. The court remanded him to police custody till Nov 6.Akola-based complainant Ranjitsingh Oberoi of Oberoi Construction had last month filed an FIR alleging that the accused, posing as a senior ministry official at Mantralaya and under the pretext of clearing his company’s pending PWD bills worth Rs 50 crore, extorted Rs 3.5 crore. Based on his complaint, the Marine Drive police registered an FIR against an unknown person under the BNS sections of impersonation, extortion, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.Oberoi alleged that he was subsequently put in touch with another person claiming to have the final authority to approve PWD bills. Fearing financial losses and the possible collapse of his business, he arranged Rs 1.25 crore from his hotel business, construction company, and friends and travelled to Mumbai on Sept 10 and handed over the money through an alleged associate described as the caller’s bodyguard outside Hotel Trident at Nariman Point. The complainant alleged that the accused later demanded the remaining commission and collected another Rs 2 crore on Sept 15 through the same associate, who arrived in a Toyota Innova car bearing registration number MH20 HB 5666.Oberoi further alleged that on Sept 29, the caller demanded another Rs 75 lakh, threatening that the Rs 3.25 crore already paid would be lost and the pending bills would not be cleared if he failed to pay.The contractor subsequently learnt that another contractor had allegedly received a similar call in connection with pending bills. He said he visited Mantralaya on Sept 30 and discovered that the mobile number used by the caller did not belong to Mahale and that the person he had met was not govt official.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in MumbaiStay updated with the latest Mumbai news. Download the TOI App.