The police have apprehended a 30-year-old conman, Vardhan Ramesh Salunkhe, for impersonating an official from the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) and attempting to blackmail medical shop owners in Bhayandar. The arrest followed a complaint from Lalit Bhaati, who operates a medical store in Padmavati Nagar.
According to Bhaati’s statement, Salunkhe entered his store, presented himself as an FDA inspector, and displayed an identity card. He threatened to penalize the store for improperly storing medicines, demanding a bribe of Rs75,000 to resolve the issue.
Suspicious of Salunkhe’s intentions, Bhaati contacted Rupesh Choudhary from the local medical store owners’ association. Upon learning that Salunkhe was an impostor, they acted quickly. Before Choudhary and other members could arrive, Salunkhe fled. Soon after, Choudhary received reports of Salunkhe attempting to blackmail another medical shop owner, Nitesh Suthar.
When the police arrived, they found Salunkhe again threatening Suthar. He was arrested and charged under IPC sections 171 (personating a public servant) and 385 (extortion). Investigations are ongoing to determine if he had previously extorted money from other medical store owners in the area. Salunkhe was remanded to custody following a court appearance in Thane
