Mumbai : Vanrai police arrested a 29-year-old college dropout, Swaraj Ghosalkar, for allegedly impersonating a Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) field officer, Sachin Mahadik, raiding a small-scale furnace manufacturing unit in Goregaon and extorting Rs 10,000 by threatening cancellation of its licence on August 25. Police have recovered Rs 10,000 that he extorted from Powale, who is running the industry following all compliance requirements. A trap was laid when Ghosalkar returned to collect Rs 12,000 as a monthly ransom that he reportedly demanded from Shailesh Powale (52), owner of Laxmi Metallurgical & Marine Engineers in Goregaon (East), on August 26, which he asked Powale to pay for the next three years so that his licence would not get cancelled.
He is in custody till August 30,” said Vanrai police senior inspector Abdul Rauf Shaikh. The incident occurred on August 25 at 12.53 pm when Ghosalkar arrived at Powale’s company at Kothari Industrial Estate impersonating an MPCB field officer. I asked my company’s accountant, Vijay Mandavkar, to pay Rs10,000. Later, at 9.12 pm, Ghosalkar received a WhatsApp call from Mahadik (Ghosalkar) demanding another Rs 25,000 for his bosses. Vanrai police were informed, laid a trap, and called Ghosalkar to visit the company on August 26, when he demanded Rs 12,000 be paid through GPay every month for a clearance certificate for the next three years.
In the complaint, Powale said: “Ghosalkar, introduced as Sachin Mahadik, gave his visiting card.
“Powale asked Ghosalkar to visit personally to collect cash and got him arrested,” said the police. We have seized fake ID cards of MPCB and FSSAI from Ghosalkar. When I asked another officer, Vikram Mane, to visit, he replied that he is assigned from now on. He also threatened to file a false pollution report and demanded money. After Ghosalkar left, I called BMC consultant Kailas Mane and inquired if there was any officer named Sachin Mahadik in MPCB and also verified with Field Officer Mane at MPCB headquarters and found out the fraud.