Mumbai: Man held for impersonating FDA officer, extorting money in Borivali

Representational Pic/File

The Kasturba Marg Police in Mumbai arrested a 46-year-old man on Sunday for allegedly impersonating a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officer and demanding money from a ration shop owner in Borivali East, the police said.

The accused, identified as Wardhan Salunkhe, was produced in court on Monday, where he was remanded to police custody for four days, an official said.

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According to the Kasturba Marg police, a week ago, Salunkhe had approached 77-year-old Dinanath Kaluste's shop at Shanti Niwas in Borivali East and threatened to fine him Rs. 1 lakh, accusing him of selling ration illegally.

Kaluste pleaded with Salunkhe not to impose the fine, at which point Salunkhe demanded Rs. 20,000. Kaluste negotiated and paid Salunkhe Rs. 10,000 after Salunkhe flashed his ID card, the police said.

On Sunday, Salunkhe returned to Kaluste's shop and began recording a video on his mobile phone, accusing Kaluste of irregularities. This time, Kaluste sensed foul play and asked Salunkhe to show his ID card again.

"Kaluste saw that the government stamp on the ID card was missing, which raised his suspicion," said a police officer.

Kaluste then gathered a few other rationing shop owners, who discovered that there was no one named Wardhan Salunkhe working at the FDA.

The shop owners alerted the police, who arrested Salunkhe under sections 420 (cheating) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.