Two people including a self-proclaimed editor of national news channel and his accomplice have been arrested by the Kashimira police for their involvement in extorting money from local orchestra bar owners by issuing threats of getting their establishments raided for their alleged involvement in illegal activities.
Notably, the accused used e-wallets to extort money. The prime accused identified as – Jayesh Bhiku Sawant (41) turned out to be a serial offender who not only posed as an editor and scribe but also as a cop to extort money especially from local bar owners in Kashimira, Mumbai and Thane.
A crime detection team under the guidance of senior police inspector-Rajendra Kamble apprehended Sawant and his accomplice-Himanshu Jaipal Singh (24) from Ujjan city in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. The duo are residents of Rajkiya Unnayan Basti of Kalyanpur area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
The action followed in response to a complaint registered by Uday Shetty- a bar owner and secretary of the local hotel association who was contacted by the accused by introducing himself as the editor of a news channel. With claims that he had video clips of the indecent activities that were going on in his bar, Sawant demanded Rs.70,000 for not airing the clips on the channel. Shetty refuted his charges and asked him to send the video clips. However, Sawant refused and continued demanding money.
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Notably, instead of seeking cash, he asked the complainant to transfer the money to a specified digital wallet. Fearing unnecessary controversy, Shetty transferred Rs.25,000 to a G-Pay account. However, it later came to light that Sawant had been fleecing money from other bar owners by using a similar modus operandi and calling up the control room allegedly with frivolous complaints, following which the association members registered a complaint.
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Investigations revealed his involvement in nine other crimes committed using a similar modus operandi. After his arrest by the Vile-Parle police, Sawant had stepped out of jail after securing bail in August, last year. Sawant had also fleeced money from the manager of a well-known eatery on the highway in Kashimira in April, 2022 with claims that he needed cash during a raid in Bandra in which he had seized a huge amount of gold.
Meanwhile the duo who have been booked under sections 384 (extortion) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been remanded to police custody till July 29 after they were produced before the court on Thursday. Police inspector (Crime) -Sameer Shaikh is conducting further investigations into the case.
