Mumbai: Man booked for impersonating as ED officer, demanding Rs 15 cr from MLC Anil Bhosale's wife

MLC Bhosale was apprehended by the ED in March 2021 and is currently in judicial custody

Worli police have booked an unidentified individual for impersonating an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer and demanding Rs 15 crore from MLC Anil Bhosale's wife. MLC Bhosale was apprehended by the ED in March 2021 and is currently in judicial custody. The unidentified individual made WhatsApp calls and sent pictures of documents and an ID card while posing as an ED officer. Reshma Bhosale, the wife of MLC Bhosale, promptly informed the ED office about the incident. An official from the ED has registered a complaint against the unknown perpetrator.

Anil Bhosale, an NCP MLC from Pune, was booked by the ED on charges of embezzling an alleged Rs 494 crore from the Shivajirao Bhosale Co-operative Bank. He was arrested by ED in March 2021 and is currently in judicial custody. Despite repeated attempts, his bail requests have been consistently denied by the Special Court. On October 23, Reshma Bhosale received messages from an unknown number, containing documents with a letterhead resembling that of the ED and an ID card. Subsequently, she received a WhatsApp call from another unidentified number.

"The caller claimed to be an ED officer and offered to help resolve her husband's case in exchange for Rs 15 crore. Following the call, Bhosale immediately contacted the ED office in Worli and provided screenshots of calls and documents sent through WhatsApp. A statement of Bhosale was recorded and the ED officer reached out to us and filed a complaint," said an official from Worli police station.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against the unknown individual on charges of criminal conspiracy (IPC section 120B), personating a public servant (IPC section 170), extortion (IPC section 384), cheating by personation (IPC section 419), cheating (IPC section 420), forgery for the purpose of cheating (IPC section 468), and relevant sections of the IT Act 2000. No arrests have been made as of now.

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