Police arrested a 55-year-old police inspector attached to Thane district rural police on Monday morning for allegedly robbing a businessman of Rs 2 crore. The incident occurred in Vashi on March 29. The arrested police inspector was identified as Nitin Bhikaji Vijaykar. He was apprehended around 4 a.m. from his residence in Thane. The arrest follows an incident that allegedly took place on March 29, 2024, between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. when a businessman from Ghatkopar was traveling from his residence in Mumbai to Turbhe MIDC. According to police, the businessman was followed and stopped by six unidentified individuals on the service road of Sector 17 in Vashi, near Palm Beach under the Vashi bridge.
The accused, posing as policemen from the Mumbai police force, allegedly threatened the businessman, claiming to have received complaints about his possession of a large sum of money. They demanded Rs. 2 crore from him to avoid legal repercussions, verbally abusing him in the process. Subsequently, they took him to a flat in Sector 29 in Vashi, where they continued to threaten and finally took Rs 2 crore from him before fleeing. The businessman later lodged a complaint with Vashi police station. An FIR was registered under various sections of the IPC for dacoity, kidnapping, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, impersonating a public servant, and other charges. During the course of the investigation, the involvement of the police officer came to light, leading to his arrest by the Vashi police.