Mumbai hotelier arrested for making fake call to diamond firm's VP

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A 56-year-old hotelier has been arrested by the police's anti-extortion cell after he allegedly posed as a cop and threatened a diamond firm's vice president. The accused has been identified as Laxmikant Pawar, who runs a hotel in the western suburbs.

According to the police, the 54-year-old VP of a BKC firm received a call from an unknown number on May 9. "When I answered the call, the person asked if I knew Faizi. Then he said the call was regarding a narcotics issue and that I was lying. When I asked who the person is, he asked if I had Truecaller on my phone. He said he was inspector Pawar, posted at Kandivli narcotics cell," the complainant said. The accused told the victim that he had arrested someone called Faizi, who is a Nigerian national drug peddler. He further added that he found the victim's number from his (Faizi's) contact details.

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"After 10 minutes, I saw Pawar's missed call, so I called back. Then he asked me to come to the anti-narcotics office, and that if I refused, I would be arrested," the complainant added.

The victim then approached Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ashutosh Dhumbre, who then asked DCP (ANC) Shivdeep Lande and instructed him to trace the caller. Lande found out that the caller was not a real cop.

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The case has been transferred to the anti-extortion cell. Pawar is booked under sections 389 for putting person in fear of accusation of offence in order to commit extortion and 170 for personating a public servant of the IPC.

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