The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested seven people who kidnapped and looted a jeweller’s employee of R13 lakh while impersonating police officers. The accused had told a friend of the jeweller on Facebook that he was selling gold biscuits at an extremely low rate and to come to Kharghar to buy them. According to the police, the incident took place on June 26 in front of the Bharatseth Thakur library in Sector 8, Kharghar when the jeweller Ravindra Chaudhary, 50; the friend Sunil Ingale; and employee Ratan Singh Rathod were waiting for one Raj Patel near a hotel.

“Shortly after they visited the spot, an SUV arrived and fake cops got out of the vehicle. After confirming that the trio had come with money, they dragged Rathod, who was carrying a bag containing Rs 13 lakh, inside the vehicle and drove him towards Kopar. After assaulting him and snatching the bag, they dropped him off somewhere,” said a police officer. Soon after the incident, Rathod called Chaudhary and informed him about what had happened. The jeweller then approached the police and a case was registered at the Kharghar police station for dacoity and theft.