Fake policeman targeting jewellers fooled cops

Investigations by Sion police have thrown up startling revelations about an impersonator, who reportedly fooled several cops and police stations across the city. Acting as an officer, the crook would establish contact with jewellers with the help of policemen at various police stations. He would then target these jewellers through extortion calls.
This had come to light when a jeweller from Sion, Bharat Kotahri, complained that a person, who had identified himself as inspector Nalavade from the Pune police, had targeted him. Investigations by the Sion police revealed that the caller was an impersonator. He is yet to be identified and arrested.

Modus operandi: The accused would call up Mumbai police control room, take the number of the police station, and from that station procure the number of a beat marshal. He would then call up the beat marshal and instruct him to tell the jeweller (he plans to target) to talk to the accused.

The impersonator had procured Kothari's number by making a series of calls to Mumbai police control, then to Matunga police station and then to Sion police station, seeking the number of the beat marshal, who facilitated him make contact with Kothari.

Sion police have found that the extortionist had also called Samta Nagar (Kandivali) and Azad Maidan police stations.

An officer from Sion police station said: "We learnt that the man had called other police stations, and figured out that some beat marshals had been contacted." He added: "The SIM cards through which he had made calls were from stolen phones. We are also verifying whether the impersonator had called some other jewellers too."