A 31-year-old man has been arrested in Powai for pretending to be a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officer in an attempt to extort money from a local shop owner. The man, identified as Vardhan Ramesh Salunke, lives in Kandivali East and works as a driver.
A case has been registered at the Powai police station under sections 204 (impersonating public servant), 319 (cheating by forgery), 336(2) (forgery) and 340(2) (using forged document as genuine) of the Bhartiy Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
Salunke approached Kiran Patel, who owns a general store in Tungagaon, Powai, on Saturday, February 15, around 5 p.m. He showed a fake identity card and claimed to be an FDA inspector, demanding to see the store’s license.
As the conversation unfolded, two of Patel’s acquaintances, both BMC marshals named Shamsher Yadav and Bhaven Bhasin, arrived and grew suspicious. They questioned Salunke, who failed to provide satisfactory answers.
When Patel asked to see the identity card again, Salunke realized the jig was up and tried to flee. However, Patel, with the help of Yadav and Bhasin, managed to catch him and turn him over to the Powai police.
During questioning, police discovered that Salunke isn’t an FDA official. He allegedly created a fake identity card under the name Akshay Patil to con business owners. Authorities are now investigating whether he has been involved in similar scams before.
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