The case came to light after a hotel owner approached police when the accused allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 to stop punitive action
Kolhapur : A 35-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly extorting money from hotel and eatery owners by posing as an official of the food and drugs administration (FDA). The case came to light after a hotel owner approached police when Lohar allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 to stop punitive action. The deal was eventually negotiated down to Rs 2,000. During the investigation, police found that Lohar and his accomplice might have targeted nearly 60 hoteliers using the same modus operandi.
Police said the duo obtained contact numbers displayed on hotel signboards and called owners while impersonating FDA officials. The court has granted his police custody till Friday,” inspector Shriram Kanherkar of Laxmipuri police said. The accused, identified as Mahadeo Namdeo Lohar of Gogave village in Shahuwadi taluka, allegedly targeted hotels and eateries in rural areas with an accomplice, whose whereabouts are currently not known. Acting on the complaint, local crime branch (LCB) laid a trap at Laxmipuri market, where Lohar had asked the complainant to hand over the cash. Lohar was caught red-handed while accepting the cash. A stolen motorcycle has also been recovered from him. Police believed the accused exploited growing vigilance by FDA against food adulteration and regulatory violations, using the fear of raids, penalties and sealing of establishments to extort money from business owners.