Tea vendor poses as a cop to extort money, arrested

THE 55-YEAR-OLD EXTORTED FROM MEN LEAVING BROTHELS IN GRANT ROAD, SAYING THEY WOULD BE JAILED

MUMBAI: The DB Marg police arrested a 55-year-old tea vendor for allegedly impersonating a policeman and extorting ₹1,200 from a man at Grant Road on Thursday.

According to the DB Marg police, the accused has been identified as Mohammed Arif Shaikh.

The police officers said Shaikh confessed to robbing many people whom he saw getting out of brothels at Grant Road and other areas. On Thursday night at 11.30pm, Shaikh saw a 28-yearold man walking on SVP Road and along with an accomplice, intercepted him. Shaikh introduced himself as a CID officer and holding the man’s collar, asked him if he was doing anything illegal.

“Shaikh then demanded ₹2,000 from the man as a fine or threatened to take him to the police. The complainant pleaded and handed Shaikh ₹1,200,” said Suryakant Bangar, senior police inspector.

When the man who was robbed told his friend about this encounter, the latter realised he had been duped and asked him to approach the police.

“A team was sent to the spot near SVP Road in Grant Road where they spotted Shaikh with the help of the victim. Shaikh was selling tea when the team intercepted him,” said a police officer.

The police arrested Shaikh, a resident of Byculla, for impersonating a police officer and extortion.

The officers said Shaikh confessed to extorting several other people in the same fashion. He said he particularly targeted men leaving the area’s brothels by pulling them into a dark alley and threatened them saying he was a policeman. Since prostitution was illegal, he would say to them, they would go to jail unless they paid a fine of ₹2,000.

“We are now trying to trace Shaikh’s accomplice who was with him when the complainant was looted,” said Sarvada Salve, investigating officer of the case.

Shaikh was presented before the court on Friday and was remanded in police custody.