THREE persons, including two Beat Marshals of Bajaj Nagar Police Station, have been arrested by Hudkeshwar Police for kidnapping a businessman and demanding ransom of Rs 15 lakh to avoid his arrest in an alleged fraud case. The arrested extortionists are Gaurav Purushottam Parale (30), a resident of Raghuji Nagar; Rajesh Uttamrao Hiwrale (30), a resident of Sitabuldi Police Quarter, and Akash Raju Gwalbanshi (30), a resident of Hudkeshwar. Vikrant Meshram, a resident of Umred, is currently absconding. The action was initiated following a complaint from Ajay MotiramWaghmare (37), a resident of Kharghar, Mumbai.

 

According to the police, Ajay Waghmare is the owner of IBN Flipcorp Trade Company, involved in buying and selling land and the import and export of grains. On Sunday, he organised a meeting for new customers from Nagpur and surrounding areas at Queen’s Celebration Lawn on Hudkeshwar Road. Around 1.30 pm, he arrived at the lawn with colleagues Dilip Shinde and Giridhar Nikhare.While the three were in the vehicle, Beat Marshal Gaurav Parale, in police uniform, approached them. He asked Dilip Shinde who is Ajay Waghmare and then indicated that an Innova vehicle (MH-27/BE-0900) was parked behind them. Under the pretext of a police inquiry, Ajay Waghmare was compelled to accompany them to the car, where Rajesh Hiwarale and Akash Gwalbanshi were also present. The officers claimed they were taking Ajay to the police station and confiscated his three mobile phones and wallet.When Ajay inquired about the reason for his arrest, the police told him it was related to Rs 20 crore scam. When Ajay denied involvement in any such scam, the officers threatened him with fabricated evidence and stated he would face charges under various sections unless he paid Rs 15 lakh to avoid arrest.

 

The officers then switched off their mobile phones and took him to different locations and continued to threaten him. Faced with these threats, Ajay agreed to pay the ransom and requested to call his colleague. Rajesh Hiwarale then contacted Dilip Shinde and instructed him to arrange for the Rs 15 lakh payment. Shinde informed his colleague Zode about the situation and advised him to alert the police station. Upon receiving the information, Senior Police Inspector Dhnyaneshwar Bhedokar, under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police Rashmita Rao and Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinayak Kote, initiated an investigation. The team tracked down the suspects at Hotel Radisson Blu on Wardha Road and successfully rescued AjayWaghmare. Later, a case was registered against all four accused persons, who have been remanded in police custody for two days.