‘MLAs’ call in to swindle builders

With high profile builders, MLAs and big money involved, it seemed like the perfect crime. On Friday, the Dahisar police arrested two persons for mimicking the voices of several MLAs and demanding donations from the builders including DB Realty.

“The accused have been identified as Siddhesh Samant, 30 and Rahul Sharma, 28, both residents of Bhyander” said assistant police inspector D Girkar of Dahisar police station.

According to the records available with the Dahisar police, the duo have been targeting builders over the past one year. Samant and Sharma sought donationas from builders by impersonating as local leaders like Shivsena’s Vinod Ghosalkar and Subhash Desai and BJP’s Gopal Shetty. Ghosalkar who had learned about the extortion in his name had brought this to the police’s notice of the police few months ago.

The accused adopted a simple but effective modus operandi. Samant, who was adept at mimicking voices, called up the builders they wished to target and pretend to be one of the MLAs.

At times, he also identified himself as a leader’s personal assistant. In the leader’s characteristic style, he sought donations for social work or a party function. Samant then sent his associate Sharma to collect the money. The builders easily gave in as it is quite common for them to do this in order to keep the local leaders happy.

However, the accused ran out of luck when, on Friday, Samant called up the office of Tanvi Builders by posing as Vinod Ghosalkar and asking for Rs51,000 to purchase an ambulance.

The staff at the builder’s office suspected foul play and called up a local corporator from Shivsena to check whether Ghosalkar has actually asked for the donation.

When Ghosalkar learnt about it, he asked the builder’s office to keep Sharma engaged till his men reached there. Ghosalkar’s men handed him to the police. Samant, too, was arrested few hours later. The police said that Samant had lured Sharma into the crime by promising him a job.