Mumbai Crime: Two constables extort Rs 4,000 from commuters, booked

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The Bandra Government Railway Police (GRP) have booked two constables for allegedly extorting money from two men who mistakenly entered the local train compartment reserved for differently-abled persons. The incident took place on June 30 after Deepak Dixit and his friend Atul Dixit, employees of a call centre in Delhi, boarded a local at Vile Parle around 2 pm. They were in Mumbai on a work-related trip and were headed to for Bandra Terminus to catch a train back to Delhi when the constables saw them in the reserved compartment.

The constables, S S Varjekar and J B Kedar, allegedly made them alight at Santacruz station and took them to the GRP cabin. "In the cabin, the constables abused us and threatened to take us to court the next day. They then checked our luggage and took Rs 4,000 in cash, digital camera and a perfume bottle from us after which they let us go," read the complaint, which Deepak and Atul emailed to the GRP on July 1 upon reaching Delhi.

The Bandra GRP checked the CCTV footage from Santacruz station and spotted the constables taking the two men to a cabin. Based on a preliminary investigation, they filed a case under Sections 384 (extortion)and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code on June 2.

Senior Inspector V Chaugule told mid-day, "We have registered an FIR against the constables and sent a letter to the complainants for further investigation. We have not arrested them yet."

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