Pune: Cops Allegedly Extort Rs 5 Lakh from Engineering Student in False Drug Case

In a shocking incident, two police officers are alleged to have tried to extort Rs 5 lakh from an engineering student by threatening to falsely implicate him in a drug case. Two constables from Dehu Road police station, along with six college friends of the victim, were reportedly part of this criminal act. The victim, Vaibhav Singh Manishkumar Singh Chauhan, a 19-year-old from Jharkhand residing in Kiwale, Pune for his studies, has complained about this matter.

According to the police, the complainant Chauhan is pursuing his second-year engineering degree at Symbiosis College in Kiwle while his father is the CEO of a private company. The accused who were friends with Chauhan needed money and hence hatched a plan to blackmail and extort money from Chauhan. The accused students had met the police personnel during a night patrol in the Kiwle neighborhood and have since been in contact with them. They accordingly discussed the plan with the two police constables and agreed to give them a percentage of the amount.

On February 10 at around 12:30 pm, the accused called the complainant at the Seven Cafe near the college and planted the marijuana packet in his pocket, unaware of the plot the complaint went to Maya Lounge where the accused police constables Gaikwad and Shejwal apprehended Chauhan and recovered the planted packet from Chauhan’s pocket. Chauhan was forcefully taken near the Gahunje cricket stadium and later brought to the Dehu Road police station.

The police allegedly threatened to falsely implicate Chauhan in a drug case, and they sought Rs 20 lakh from his father to avoid jail. The complainant's father gave in to pressure and transferred Rs 4.98 lakh via Google Pay to the accused out of fear of reprisals from the police and other sources.

After discussing the incident with a friend, the complainant went to the Talegaon Dabhade police station and narrated the incident to senior inspector Shankar Avatade. Higher officials were alerted to the situation promptly since law enforcement personnel were directly involved in it.

As per the police, a case under sections 363, 384, 385, 120(B) and 34 has been registered against the accused students Anil Chaudhary, Aman Sheikh, Hussain Dange, Mohammad Ahmer Mirza, Shankar Gorde, and Munnaswamy. Chaudhary, Sheikh, Dange. The six students have been arrested while the two police constables Hemant Gaikwad and Sachin Shejal are still at large. The investigation will be carried out by Assistant Commissioner of Police Mugut Patil of the Dehu Road division.