Mumbai cafe owner robbed of Rs 25 lakh by fake cops; four arrested

PTI, May 16, 2024, 11:45 AM IST

Mumbai: Six men claiming to be from the crime branch entered a cafe owner’s home in Mumbai’s Sion area and allegedly took away Rs 25 lakh, an official said on Thursday. The police have arrested four of them.

The complainant, who runs a popular cafe in the city’s Matunga area, told the police that six persons came to his house near the Sion hospital on Tuesday saying they were from the Mumbai crime branch.

The men claimed that they were on election duty and had information that he had kept money for use in connection with the Lok Sabha polls, the official said citing the complaint.

Mumbai will vote in the fifth phase of general elections on May 20.

The hotelier told them that he had only Rs 25 lakh cash from his food business and it had nothing to do with the elections, the official said.

However, the six accused took the money and left his home threatening to implicate him in a crime. The cafe owner then approached the Sion police station, prompting an investigation.

During the probe, the police arrested four of the accused.

Cops suspect the involvement of a retired police constable and personnel of the police motor transport department in the crime, the official added.