An assistant police inspector and three constables attached to the anti-terrorism cell (ATC) of RCF police station have been arrested for allegedly stealing cash and gold jewellery during a raid conducted in Navi Mumbai last month, police officials said. The accused are also alleged to have extorted Rs5 lakh from another woman in a separate incident in Kalyan.
The arrested personnel have been identified as API Vijay Sutar and constables Yogesh Khandge, Nemane, and Petkar. All four have been placed under suspension following their arrest.
The alleged theft occurred during an official operation to trace illegal Bangladeshi nationals. The incident came to light after a social activist lodged a formal complaint, prompting senior officials to order an internal inquiry. Deputy Commissioner of Police Sameer Shaikh subsequently transferred the investigation to Chembur police station.
During scrutiny of the raid records, investigators found that no seizure panchnama or official documentation had been prepared for the cash and jewellery allegedly recovered during the operation. Further checks revealed that several valuables were missing.
“It was found that certain articles seized during the raid were unaccounted for, leading to allegations of misappropriation. Based on the findings, an FIR was registered late Sunday, following which the accused were arrested and suspended,” a police officer said.
In a separate but related case, the same police personnel are accused of extorting Rs5 lakh from another suspected Bangladeshi woman in Kalyan.
Police said further investigation is underway to determine the individual role of each accused and to recover the missing cash and gold jewellery.
