Police have arrested a 36-year-old man in Maharashtra`s Thane district for allegedly posing as a CBI officer. As per the officials, the accused cheated people by promising them jobs in the central agency.
The accused, identified as Raju Ashok Patekar, used to wear a police uniform with an official-looking badge, carry a walkie-talkie and an air gun, and pose as an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to gain the trust of victims, they said.
An official from Vitthalwadi Police Station further said, “He allegedly prepared fake identity cards, forged documents and testimonials, and lured people with promises of securing them jobs in the CBI. On this pretext, he collected money from them, thereby cheating both the public and the government,” as per PTI.
Furthermore, the police arrested Patekar on Saturday evening in the Ulhasnagar area of the district, the official said.
Seizures worth 7.14 lakh
During the investigation, the police seized several items valued at Rs 7.14 lakh from the accused, including Rs 50,000 in cash, an air gun, six walkie-talkies, multiple fake identity-related items, SIM cards, and documents purportedly linked to government agencies.
Among the seized materials were blank letterheads bearing the name of the Government of India, forged authority letters, affidavits on stamp paper, and fake citations claiming links with various government bodies, the official said.
The police officials further added that the accused has been booked under relevant legal provisions and a probe is underway into the case, as per PTI.
Three children rescued after lift malfunction in Thane building
In a different case on Sunday, three children were safely rescued after being trapped in a malfunctioning lift at a Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) building in Kasarvadavali on Sunday evening. Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported in the incident.
According to the Disaster Management Cell of the Thane Municipal Corporation, information about the incident was received at around 7:18 pm from the Ovala Fire Station. The incident took place in a ground-plus-12-storey TMC building located at Kasarvadavali village along Ghodbunder Road in Thane (West).
Lift is stuck on the fourth floor due to a technical fault
Officials said the incident occurred in the B Wing of the building when a technical malfunction caused the lift to get stuck on the fourth floor. Three children were trapped inside at the time of the incident.
(With inputs from PTI)
