Pune: Police arrested a husband and wife who were demanding a ransom of Rs 2cr by threatening to file false case of POCSO and rape. Incident came to light when they they continuously demanded the remaining Rs 50 lakhs even after receiving three cheques of Rs 1.5 crore from the complainant.
On May 15, 2025, Maruti Manohar Kadam (61) filed a complaint alleging that Vijay Haridas Phalke (40), Poonam Vijay Phalke (34), their minor daughter, and an unidentified accomplice conspired to extort ₹2 crore from him by threatening to falsely implicate him in a case. Kadam alleges he issued three ₹50 lakh cheques to the accused under duress. According to the complaint, a case has been registered at Otur Police Station under Sections 61(2), 308(2), 308(3), 3(5) of the IPC.
After the case was registered, the accused couple first applied for anticipatory bail in the Junnar Sessions Court and then in the Mumbai High Court. After not getting any relief even after 20 hearings in the High Court, accused Vijay Phalke surrendered at the Otur Police Station on November 24. When he was arrested and produced in the court on November 25, the First Class Magistrate remanded him in police custody for 7 days.
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Police informed that an investigation is underway to find out whether the accused have committed similar crimes elsewhere and to look into all aspects of the extortion case. The investigation into the case is being conducted by Assistant Police Inspector Lahu Thate of Otur Police Station under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, Additional Superintendent of Police Ramesh Chopde, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dhananjay Patil.