In a shocking incident in Pimpri-Chinchwad, a case has been registered against eight people, including 2 police personnel, for conspiring to abduct a 19-year-old college student and extorting ₹4.98 lakh from him by threatening to implicate him in a false drugs case, officials informed on Friday.
Four accused — Anil Ramesh Chaudhary (19, resident of Wakad), Hussain Iliyas Dange (19, resident of Gahunje), Mohammad Mirza (19, resident of Akurdi), Shankar Gorde (34, resident of Kiwale) — have been arrested.
Four others — Aman Shaikh, Munna Swami, police naik Hemant Gaikwad, and constable Sachin Shejal, both attached to the Dehu Road Police Station — are on the run.
The victim, Vaibhavsingh Chauhan, is a native of Jharkhand, currently residing at a hostel in Kiwale.
According to Deputy Police Commissioner Bapu Bangar, the accused have been booked under sections 34 (common intention), 120b (criminal conspiracy), 363 (kidnapping), 384 (extortion), and 385 (putting a person in fear of injury) of the Indian Penal Code.
"Chauhan is studying at a reputed college in Kiwale. He got acquainted with Aman Shaikh (who is the son of former Cantonment Board Vice Chairman Amin Shaikh). He, along with the two cops, hatched a conspiracy to extort money from the student," said Bangar.
"Accordingly, on February 10, the accused abducted Chauhan from a cafe in Kiwale. They allegedly kept a packet of marijuana-like substance in his pocket, following which the accused cops searched him. Further, showing threats to implicate him in a case of illegal possession of marijuana, the accused extorted money from him. They demanded ₹20 lakh from the victim. He contacted his father and transferred ₹4.98 lakh. They let the victim go on the evening of February 11. Following this, he filed a complaint at the Talegaon Police Station on February 12. An inquiry was initiated, and his complaint application was forwarded to Dehu Road Police Station on February 14 for further investigation," he added.
