Two cops extort money from lottery centre owner; held

A junior officer attached to Special Branch and a Mumbai Police driver were arrested Tuesday for allegedly abducting a lottery centre owner and extorting money from him, police said Wednesday.

The alleged incident occurred on January 24, when the accused police sub-inspector Ram Jadhav (55), who is posted at Special Branch (SB), and Arvind Andhare (52), who works as a driver of Motor Transport division of the Mumbai Police, posed as crime branch sleuths and 'raided' an 'illegal' lottery centre at Cotton Green in Central Mumbai, a police official said.

They forced the centre owner Hanumant Kamble to accompany them in a van, saying senior officers wanted to talk to him, he said.

However, the duo took Kamble to an isolated spot along P D'Mello Road and took Rs 10,000 from him, he said quoting the complainant.

They later forced Kamble to withdraw Rs 10,500 threw his ATM card and thrashed him, before fleeing.

On January 25, Kamble filed a complaint with Kalachowki police station, following which a case of robbery and kidnapping was registered against the policemen, the official said.

The duo were identified with the help of CCTV footage of the ATM centre and arrested, he said.

A court has remanded them in police custody till February 1.