Mumbai Crime: From lawman to conman in just 500m

Manoj Saboo (in white shirt) is now out on bail

The Government Railway Police (GRP) at Borivli station on Wednesday night caught an advocate after he allegedly tried to extort money from an outstation passenger by posing as a ticket collector and then as a cop. While the accused, advocate Manoj Radhakishan Saboo, 40, is out on bail, his lawyer claims Saboo was framed in the case by the Borivli GRP.

The incident occurred in the wee hours of Thursday. The Borivli GRP claim Saboo, who has been a practising lawyer for several years and owns a law firm, tried to extort money from a passenger who was waiting at platform number 10 at Borivli station. Sources at Borivli GRP said Saboo had told the complainant he will file a case against him because he was waiting at the platform.

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In the CCTV footage, he is seen walking away with the passenger he allegedly tried to extort money from

'Mischievous activity'
The complainant, Arif Khan, 40, is a truck driver and was waiting for his boss at Borivli station, after his train back home to Haryana got delayed. He denied being in any sort of heated argument, and instead alleged that the accused woke him up to harass him.

"Since I had a severe headache, I covered my head with a handkerchief and lied down on the platform where others were also sleeping. In the wee hours, Saboo came, prodded and woke me up to ask me if I was drunk. I told him I wasn't and that I was waiting for my boss. Saboo told me that he is an official from the crime branch. He did not listen to me and asked me to accompany him to conduct some test to check if I was inebriated."

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Manoj Saboo

"Since I was not drunk, I accompanied him and called my boss to apprise him about the situation. Thereafter, my boss suggested me to give Saboo some money to get rid of any police action. I opened my wallet and tried to pay him. But he insisted I accompany him to Borivli West, where his vehicle was parked. He wanted me to take a ride on his two-wheeler and forced me to undergo some test and sign a paper. But I denied sitting pillion on his motorbike. During our conversation, thankfully, two RPF officials arrived and rescued me. I filed a complained against Saboo at Borivali railway police," said Khan.

A GRP official said, "When the RPF official asked Saboo about the matter; he told the on-duty officer that he is an official from the crime branch. The RPF official then hauled Saboo and the complainant to his office after which Borivli GRP was informed," the officer added.

Just went for tea
Narrating his version of the incident, Saboo said, "My office is near the railway station. After working till late in the evening, I wanted to have a cup of tea. But it started raining, so I went towards Borivli East where I saw a few people fighting over an issue. Since I was wearing a white shirt and black trousers, the people misunderstood me as a ticket collector and asked me to intervene.

"Meanwhile, two policemen in uniform arrived and asked me if I am impersonating a ticket collector. I told them that I am an advocate at the court in Borivli and am just trying to calm down the people fighting over an issue. But one of them asked my qualifications and identity and hauled me to the RPF station," he said."Later, they confiscated my cell phone, barring me from communicating with anyone for help.

The high handedness of police did not stop there and they booked me in a false case after detaining me till late in the night. I will fight for justice and drag these cops to high court," said Saboo. However, according to GRP officials, the CCTV footage of the spot has been recovered and it tells a different story altogether. The officials claimed that when Saboo reached the spot, none of the commuters were seen fighting on camera. They have also recorded the statement of the complainant in the case who has alleged that Saboo had tried to take money from him.

Out on bail
Meanwhile, based on the passenger's complaint, the Borivli GRP official registered a case against Saboo. He was then produced before a court in Borivli, where he otherwise argues for clients. The president of the Borivli advocate bar association, Rajesh A More, appeared for Saboo. After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court sent Saboo to judicial remand. He was later released on bail.

More told mid-day, "Saboo is a reputed lawyer in the city and has been practising in the court since years. He has been falsely implicated in this case by the Borivli GRP. The cops in the FIR have underlined that Saboo demanded '350 from the complainant. Saboo owns four offices in the premises of the Borivli court and has been excelling in his career."

'Verify facts'
"The cops should verify the facts before jeopardising an innocent person's career and reputation by falsely implicating him. We will raise this matter before the Bar Council and if need be, file a defamation case against the GRP official who has falsely booked Saboo, whose public image has been dented badly," More added.

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