Mumbai: Two officers, one constable and three informers — one of whom is a woman — have been booked by the crime branch for an alleged extortion of around Rs 7 lakh from a model, with one of the cops sexually exploiting her. The three policemen are attached to the Saki Naka police station.
The complainant in the case had first sent a distress SMS to CP Rakesh Maria on the night of April 21 and the top cop heard her out the next day by calling her to his office. At the time of going to press, the police had issued a statement confirming the case being registered under sections 376 (rape), 354 A (stalking, following a woman), 384 (extortion), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous means), 34 (common intention) and 114 (abetting crime by remaining present) and the six accused being detained into custody for interrogation. The three policemen have been identified as APIs Khatape and Suryavanshi and Constable Kode. DCP Dhananjay Kulkarni confirmed the case.
While the exact role of the three policemen is still unclear, the model was called to a five-star hotel by her coordinator regarding an assignment, where the two cops were already present. They first took away the valuables on her person.
“They then accepted around Rs 6,000 from her and asked her to cough up more. The woman got in touch with her brother and mother who transferred some amount in her bank account, which she gave to the cops. One of the officers reportedly forced her into having a physical relation with him,” said a police source.
It is also unclear whether the entire Rs 7 lakh was actually paid to the cops or was it merely demanded.
