2 pose as FSSAI officials, extort restaurateurs
MUMBAI: Two persons have been arrested on Sunday for allegedly impersonating Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) officers and extorting money from food establishment owners.
The men, identified as Dharmesh Shinde, 25, and Wardhan Salunkhe alias Avinash Gaikwad, 28, were arrested after they arrived at a restaurant in a four-wheeler and flashed their fake ID cards.
However, an employee of the restaurant, who knew the real FSSAI officer Gaikwad, alerted his employer.
The restaurant owner immediately called the police and reported the duo.
“Our team was able to arrest Salunkhe and seize their car, while Shinde fled from the spot. However, he was arrested within four hours,” Anil Ahwad, senior police inspector, Kasturba Marg police station, said.
According to the police, the men had extorted money from at least 80 establishments located in various places between Andheri and Dahisar.
The duo had used details of FSSAI officers appearing on the authority’s website and made fake ID cards, which they used to gain access to the kitchens of restaurants and sweet shops, the police officials added.
“With a proper log book and a list of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved guidelines, the duo used to visit food establishments and tick-marked the guidelines, which were not followed. They will announce the penalties for those flaws, usually ranging between ₹30,000 and ₹40,000. They will then accept ‘bribes’ of ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 for not initiating proceedings against the shop or establishment owners,” Ahwad added.
“They maintained a catalogue along with neatly written notes and obtained signatures of the victims so that they could return to the same establishment after six months for a follow up and extort more money,” another police officer said.
The two men, who are school dropouts, have been targeting food establishments for the past five years after reading stories about fake
PFDA officials targeting vulnerable victims. They began researching the FSSAI website to execute their extortion plan.
“We are now finding out if they have more accomplices,” Ahwad added.
The accused had extorted money from at least 80 establishments located in various places between Andheri and Dahisar A POLICE OFFICER