Mumbai: Police constable and accomplices arrested in loan scam case

After discussing the loan over the phone, they arranged a meeting at a mall in Thane

Three individuals, including a police constable from the Thane city police, have been apprehended by the Kasturba Marg police on August 5, in connection with an alleged scam involving a sum of Rs 20 lakh, which they claimed would be a part of a Rs 2 crore loan to a Mumbai-based businessman.

The accused have been identified as Vinod Narayan Kute (police constable), Ajay Singh, Bahadur Singh aka Prince, and Akeel Sharif Ahmed. Ajay and Prince including the police constable have had criminal history. The 56-year-old complainant, a resident of Vile Parle and engaged in the real estate sector, had expressed his intention to secure a loan of Rs 2 crore to establish a construction and film finance firm. He established contact with Ajay Singh through the social media platform LinkedIn in 2019.

After discussing the loan over the phone, they arranged a meeting at a mall in Thane. During this meeting, Singh introduced Bahadur Singh as his associate. Subsequently, the trio convened at a bar and restaurant, engaging in negotiations over a meal. Singh assured the complainant that he could arrange the desired loan from a private institution, with a monthly interest rate of 1 per cent. He also informed the complainant that he needed to provide an advance of 10 per cent of the expenses to secure the loan, amounting to Rs 20 lakh. The complainant agreed to these terms.

On July 26, Singh called the complainant and asked him to meet in Borivli East. At the designated spot, Singh's associate, Bahadur, met the complainant. However, when they began walking towards the meeting point, a police constable approached them in a rickshaw. The constable, in uniform, grabbed Bahadur's shirt and forced him into the rickshaw, claiming that they needed to visit the police station.

Despite the complainant's attempts to intervene, he was unable to stop them in time. He raised an alarm, but the culprits managed to flee the scene. The incident was reported to the Kasturba Marg police, who promptly initiated an investigation. Utilising CCTV footage from the vicinity, the police traced and apprehended the police constable and his accomplices on August 5. The three were presented before the Borivli court and subsequently remanded to police custody until August 8.