29 May,2023 07:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish Vaktania
Kailash Khamkar
The Versova police have arrested a 45-year-old fake cop for allegedly extorting cigarette packets from paan-beedi shops. The accused, Kailash Janardhan Khamkar, 45, would sell them in other areas or smoke their contents himself. The accused had been arrested by the Ghatkopar police in April for the same offence in the MIDC area where he was found donning khaki and using a bike with the police logo on it.
The Versova police recovered 17 cigarette packets from him. According to the police officers, Khamkar was working at the airport as a loader but after he lost his job amid the lockdown, he started duping people by posing as a police officer. Also a chain smoker, his target of choice was paan-beedi shopkeepers across the city.
A police officer said, "We received information from a shopkeeper about a new cop visiting the shop and taking a cigarette box and also threatening to register an FIR and make arrests." On the basis of this information, the police formed a team comprising PSI Nagesh Misal and Constables Vishal Thorat and Rakte to nab the accused.
A police officer said, "On Saturday, around 10.45 pm, Khamkar, who was roaming in Versova on his bike, was collecting cigarettes from a shop opposite the 7 Bungalows bus depot. The accused was wearing a police mask and khaki uniform as well as shoes that are used by cops."
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The officer added, "When we caught him red-handed, he told us he was a resident of VM Chawl at Bhim Nagar at LBS Road at Ghatkopar West and was attached with the Kurla police station. Asked to show his ID card, he said he did not have it on him. We took him to the police station and during the interrogation, he revealed that he was posing as a cop."
Khamkar was earlier arrested by the MIDC police for extorting money from cigarette vendors at the MIDC area under the Chakala Metro station. He was later released on bail. PSI Misal of Versova police station said, "We have arrested Khamkar under Sections 170 and 420, which deal with personating a public servant and cheating respectively."
