Anti-Extortion Cell officer extorts money from businessman

Rajkumar Kothmire, the senior inspector at the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell

A senior inspector with the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell allegedly turned into an extortionist himself to help a retired police officer. A businessman accused Rajkumar Kothmire of threatening to kill him in a fake encounter over monetary disputes with Mahadev Kakde, who retired as police inspector in 2018.

Afsar Idris Khan, a 34-year-old resident of Thane, who is in the business of selling second hand truck-motorcars, met Mahadev and his son Kiran Kakde in January 2018. The Kakades told Khan that they have a side business of buying and selling old trucks and cars. In March, 2018, they sealed a deal to sell old trailers and the Kakdes transferred Rs 72 lakh to Khan for the business.

Over time, Khan returned Rs 57 lakh via bank transfer and the rest in cash, but the Kakdes claimed they never received the remaining amount. Sometime later, Kakdes bought a trailer for Rs 14 lakh from one Sandeep Kandilkar, through Khan. Kandilkar fled after receiving the payment. Mahadev asked Khan to recover the loss and threatened to implicate him in a false case.

Then, in October 2019, Kothmire called Khan to the police station and allegedly brandished his service revolver and asked him to pay the Kakdes. Khan told mid-day, "I told the police that I have transferred the money to Kandilkar's bank account on Kiran's approval, so how am I accountable for the loss? Rajkumar is putting pressure on me and that's why I wrote [on february 4] a complaint to the Thane additional commissioner of police (crime)."

Kothmire said, "I will not say anything, I am doing my duty." Mahadev said, "I have made several written complaints against Khan. He has not returned my money."

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