Sales Tax officer booked for extortion and assault

A Sub-Inspector of Sales Tax department has been booked for demanding extortion at gun point and assaulting a 25-year-old graphic designer in Andheri (West). The case had been registered at Dadabhai Naoroji Nagar police station on March 31.

The Sub-Inspector, Rakesh Salunkhe, was transferred to Amravati but as a parttime job he is working as a ‘real estate broker’ in Mumbai. The graphic designer Pradeep Patra contacted Salunkhe for a house on rent as the rent agreement of his current flat was set to expire on March 31.

“Salunkhe showed few properties to Patra, who had agreed to pay him Rs 15,000 as a brokerage fee if the deal gets finalised. Meanwhile, the owner of Patra’s current flat agreed to renew the rent agreement,” said senior inspector of DN Nagar police station Dhanaji Shivaji Nalawade.

When Patra told Salunkhe that he does not need flat on rent as his owner had already renewed the lease agreement, the latter got agitated and called Patra at his flat. Patra in his complaint has mentioned that Salunkhe asked him pay Rs 15,000. Patra refused to pay him the brokerage fee as the deal was not finalised, Salunkhe assaulted him. Salunkhe also pointed a gun to Patra and threatened with dire consequences if he failed to pay him the brokerage fee.

Patra had managed to record the whole incident on his mobile phone camera and uploaded the video on his twitter account where he tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Datta Padsalgikar.

After the video was uploaded, the CP office directed the DN Nagar police station to register a case against Salukhe.

“After registering the FIR, we have sent notice to Salunkhe. We have seized his gun and are investigating the matter,” said Nalawade.