Ahmedabad: The Crime Branch has booked three individuals, including suspended police constable Aakash Patel, for extorting money while posing as Crime Branch officers. The trio allegedly intimidated citizens with false accusations under the Foreign Currency Act and extorted money from them. Aakash has been arrested, but his accomplices, Prithvirajsinh Gohil and Satvik, remain at large.

According to the Crime Branch, on December 27, the suspects approached Mihir Patel, a resident of Sentoja Park in Ambli and owner of MP Financial, a firm dealing with insurance and mutual funds. Patel’s FIR states that the accused informed Mihir of a case filed against him for illegal foreign currency use. They allegedly confined him in their car, took him to Iskcon Crossroads, and threatened him with a 15-year jail term. The suspects then drove him to a tea stall near Panjrapol, where they demanded Rs 5 crore, later negotiating the amount to Rs 50 lakh, which Patel paid. After discussing the incident with friends, Patel found out that one of the suspects, Aakash, had already been suspended and lived in Sanand. Patel then filed a complaint with the Crime Branch.

“After reviewing CCTV footage from Mihir’s office and the Shivalik Shilp basement parking lot, and based on the complainant’s description, we identified the accused and arrested Aakash, a resident of Sanand,” said a senior Crime Branch official. DeshGujarat