A civil contractor caught driving under the influence of alcohol, forced his servant to serve punishment for the offence, in his name. His fraud came to light when the servant died in jail
A civil contractor caught driving under the influence of alcohol, forced his servant to serve punishment for the offence, in his name. His fraud came to light when the servant died in jail
Intoxicants, coercion, deceit, death and arrest -- this true story has it all. Last week, the Mulund police witnessed a case more dramatic than a Bollywood thriller.
On July 9, police caught 27 year-old Vikhroli resident Shrikant Baburao Kamble driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). He was fined Rs 2,500 and asked to appear at Vikhroli court on July 13.
But Kamble asked his employee Deepak Uttam Paikar, barely a year younger than him, to take the blame.
Obedient employee that he was, Paikar obliged and appeared in court as Kamble. He took the blame for the crime his boss had committed, and was pronounced a punishment of three days in jail.
In prison, while serving the sentence his boss should have, Paikar was stricken with sudden chest pain on July 15. Jail authorities admitted him to Thane Civil Hospital, where he was declared dead due to a heart attack.
That is when Kamble's luck went sour. Cops approached his family members to give them news of his death.
"Instead of reacting with grief, his family looked shocked and surprised. Shrikant was at home and, no doubt, alive," a senior police official recalls.
Police interrogated Kamble to unravel the mystery. Kamble disclosed how he had employed Paikar after becoming a civil contractor, and how he managed to convince Paikar to go to jail. He was arrested immediately.
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| Deepak Uttam Paikar's family mourns his sudden and unexpected death. PIC/ Sameer Markande |
Police officials revealed that this is not the first time Kamble he has been booked. "He has been involved in other crimes, so he knew how to bluff his way out. He never carried his driving licence when he drove, because it would disclose his identity in case he was caught. So, when we caught him for DUI, he paid the fine and said his licence was missing."
"Shrikant must have blackmailed my brother. Otherwise, he would have never taken the blame for someone else's offence. We want police to take strict action against Shrikant," said Varsha Paikar, elder sister of the deceased.
"We have registered a case of cheating and fraud with a government officer and misleading the court. He was arrested on Friday evening. The investigation is underway," said P Langde, senior police inspector, Mulund police station.
