Three policemen and two civilians were today arrested for allegedly threatening, kidnapping and robbing a businessman of Rs one crore at Vashi in Navi Mumbai near here, police said.
The incident had taken place last Saturday and the arrested accused were identified as assistant inspectors Raghunath Khairnar (32) and Nilesh Sadanshiv (28), police naik Janardan Raje (47) and the others-- Balraj Swamy alias Uday (50) and Laxman Swamy (41), a press release issued by Vashi police stated.
All the three policemen are attached to Mumbai police and Rs one crore cash was robbed from the businessman.
"The 58-year-old complainant Mohammad Kajia, a resident of Karnatak, had to collect the hawala money from a person in Mahim area in Mumbai. Kajia had come to the city last Friday and on the next day he was robbed near Vashi toll naka, while he was on his way to Karnatak along with money in a private tourist bus," the release said.
The policemen, accompanied by Uday, were following the bus, in which the victim was travelling along with cash. The policemen abruptly stopped the bus midway near Vashi toll naka.
The policemen, who introduced themselves as Mumbai's crime branch officer, dragged down Kajia along with his bag full of cash from the bus, it added.
Subsequently, Kajia was made to sit inside a four-wheeler and the accused threatened him with a revolver and then drove him to Uran in Raigad district, where they pushed the victim from the car at an isolated location and fled away with the money bag, said the release.
On Sunday, Kajia lodged a complaint at Vashi police station against then unidentified accused.
Investigations into the case led the police to the
accused policemen and their civilian aides. During the interrogation, the accused revealed their plan to rob Kajia.
According to the release, Altaf, an accused wanted in this case and a neighbour of Kajia in Karnataka, had informed about the latter's plan of collecting money and his travel time to a cricket coach there named Afsar alias Hanif.
Hanif tipped-off arrested accused Balraj, who informed police naik Raje, who in turn told about this to two assistant inspectors.
According to the police release, Vashi police have so far recovered Rs 48 lakh from the arrested accused.
The wanted accused has fled with the balance amount, the release said.
All the accused are arrested under relevant sections of the IPC.
