A dismissed police constable and a police informant have been booked by the Dongri police in South Mumbai for allegedly posing as a police inspector from the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) and cheating a garment trader of ₹22 lakhs to remove his brother's name from a drugs case.
Police informant demanded money from victim to safeguard his brother
According to the Dongri police, Hussain Batatewala (29), residing on Jakaria Street in Dongri, filed a complaint stating that Naved Parmar, also known as Pav, informed him that his brother's name had surfaced in the ANC's investigation and that the police were planning to arrest him. Parmar demanded a payment of ₹35 lakhs to safeguard his brother.
In his complaint, Batatewala mentioned that he was introduced to Parmar by some acquaintances in the Dongri area who described Parmar as a police informant. In March 2023, Parmar visited Batatewala's residence and revealed that his elder brother's name had been linked to a drugs case, leading to his imminent portrayal as a wanted fugitive. Parmar claimed to have connections with Police Inspector Chandrakant Gaware, stationed at Bandra ANC, and assured Batatewala that he could handle the situation.
.jpg)
Gaware met victim, demanded ₹35 lakhs
Parmar took Batatewala to Bandra ANC and arranged a meeting with Gaware at Amber Hotel. Gaware guaranteed Batatewala that the task would be accomplished but demanded a payment of ₹35 lakhs. After negotiations, the amount was settled at ₹22 lakhs along with two iPhone mobiles.
Consequently, Batatewala paid ₹11 lakhs to Parmar on behalf of Gaware to initiate the process. In late March, Parmar informed Batatewala that the job had been completed. Subsequently, they met Gaware, who impersonated a police officer, and presented Batatewala with a document that supposedly removed his brother's name from the case. Batatewala paid the remaining ₹11 lakhs and even presented an iPhone 14 Pro Max to the accused.
However, when Batatewala consulted his lawyer and showed the document, he learned that it required the court's stamp to be considered valid.
Batatewala later discovered Gaware was suspended
The accused assured Batatewala that he would provide the document with the court's stamp within a few days but repeatedly evaded doing so. Despite Batatewala's continued attempts to contact Gaware, he eventually disclosed his inability to carry out the task. In May, Gaware returned the phone, but he never refunded the cash.
Upon discovering that he had been deceived, Batatewala discovered that Gaware was a suspended police constable and that an FIR had been filed against him. The same FIR had also been filed against Parmar.
Gaware, Parmar booked
According to a Dongri police officer, when Batatewala met Gaware at Bandra ANC, the meeting took place at Amber Hotel near the ANC office instead of Gaware's office. When Batatewala requested to see Gaware's identity card, the latter responded that if he did not trust him, he would refuse to proceed with the task, and he displayed his identity card from a distance.
The Dongri police official confirmed that a case had been registered against both individuals for cheating, conspiracy, impersonation of a public servant, forgery, and criminal intimidation.
