Angadiya extortion case: Crime branch recovers Rs 1.5 lakh

Saurabh Tripathi

The crime branch, which is probing the angadiya extortion case involving DCP Saurabh Tripathi, has recovered Rs 1.5 lakh from the extortion money. The police suspects that the money was sent out through hawala.

According to sources in the crime branch, the police has recovered Rs 1.5 lakh out of the money extorted by officers of LT Marg police from angadiya traders. This money has been recovered from the office of a person, who was given the money by suspended police officer Om Wangate to give it to another person. The police is now investigating who the other person was. Crime branch sources said, "We are going to make the person whom we have recovered the money from, a witness in the case."

As of now, three officers - API Nitin Kadam, PSI Samadhan Jamdade and Wangate - have been arrested in the case. DCP Tripathi, who has been absconding, is the fourth accused. A team from the crime branch had gone to his hometown in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, after they couldn't find him at his Worli residence. On Saturday, Tripathi, through his lawyers, has moved the sessions court in Mumbai, seeking anticipatory bail. The court has kept the matter for hearing on March 23.

Suspended police officer Wangate, arrested in this case, was produced in court on Saturday. The police demanded extension of his remand, but Wangate's lawyer Vinod Chate opposed it. Wangate has been sent to judicial custody till March 23. Speaking to mid-day, Chate said, "Wangate has been in police custody for the last eight days, and had cooperated in the investigation."

An angadiya association had filed a complaint against the police officers for allegedly extorting their traders. In the investigation led by Additional CP Dilip Sawat, South Region, it has been found that the arrested policemen had extorted about Rs 20 lakh rupees.