Mumbai: A former driver allegedly came up with an unusual plan to take revenge on his former employer he gathered a team, posed as Income Tax and Crime Branch officials and allegedly tried to extort rs 1 crore from a Mumbai businessman.
Police have arrested 10 people in connection with the case, including the alleged mastermind, 37 year old Santosh Uday Khopatkar, and two serving Income Tax Department officials.
According to the police, Khopatkar had worked as a driver for businessman Rajkumar Kandasami before he was dismissed. Investigators said he was upset over what he claimed was around six months of unpaid salary. Instead of pursuing the dispute through legal channels, he allegedly decided to target his former employer.
The group allegedly planned a fake government raid to make the demand for money look genuine. They reportedly entered the businessman’s office pretending to be officials from the Income Tax Department and Crime Branch. Some of them allegedly carried fake identity cards to support the story.
The situation quickly became serious. Police said Kandasami, his wife and several employees were allegedly prevented from leaving the office, while their mobile phones were taken away. The group allegedly threatened them with action from the Income Tax Department and demanded rs 1 crore.
But the plan did not go as expected. The businessman managed to contact the police, triggering an investigation into the alleged fake raid.
Investigators then began tracing the people involved using technical evidence and mobile phone data. Police eventually arrested Khopatkar and other suspects as they pieced together how the alleged operation had been organised.
The arrest of two serving Income Tax officials has added another serious dimension to the case. Their alleged involvement is now being examined by investigators, who are also looking into whether the accused had attempted similar extortion schemes in the past.
Police have booked the accused under several serious charges, including criminal conspiracy, impersonation of a public servant, trespass, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and extortion.
Investigators are continuing to examine mobile phones and other evidence recovered during the probe. The exact role of each accused and the full extent of the alleged conspiracy are still being investigated.
For now, what was allegedly planned as a convincing Income Tax raid has instead turned into a major criminal investigation involving a former employee, government officials and a rs 1 crore extortion demand.
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