Sacked cop posed as policeman to extort money from couples at Aksa

Sacked from the police force because of a track record of corruption, Rajesh Bapardekar (45) took to posing as a cop and extorting money from couples at Aksa beach in Malad. He was arrested by the Malwani police on Saturday.

Former constable Rajesh Bapardekar and (right) one of his accomplices, Faisal Khan

Bapardekar, who was attached with the Thane police department as a constable, was sacked several years ago because of his alleged involvement in several corruption cases.

He and two others, Faisal Khan (47) and Saha Mohammad Sheikh (50), then began wearing fake police uniforms and roaming around in the Aksa beach area. They used to target couples engaged in public displays of affection and extort money by threatening to arrest them and inform their families. On Saturday, ACP Pawar, from the Malwani division, received a tip-off about the trio's activities.

He informed his squad, and a trap was laid for them. The cops saw Bapardekar and his accomplices, in khaki uniform, extorting money from a couple at the beach. The trio spotted the real policemen, however, and tried to flee in an auto. The police team pursued the auto for nearly 3 km and managed to arrest the accused.

During investigations, the police found out that Bapardekar had several cases of extortion and posing as a police officer against him at the Charkop, Kandivli, Shivaji Park, Powai and Malwani police stations.