The Versova police in Andheri (west) has registered an FIR against an assistant police inspector (API) working in their police station along with seven more persons for allegedly kidnapping and extorting a filmmaker. One of the accused was involved in a financial dispute with the filmmaker and the API is said to have ‘kidnapped’ the filmmaker after which he was confined in a bungalow in Seven Bungalows area and assaulted over the financial dispute.
According to the Versova police, the incident occurred on two occasions on October 21 and then again on October 30. The filmmaker Chetan Parekh is a resident of Charkop in Kandivali. Parekh and Nirajan Jangad alias Boby Singh had struck a business deal and had opened a joint account. Jangad had given Mr Parekh '3 crore to make two movies in July this year. But Mr Parekh, who runs a production house, neither made the movie nor did he return the money.
Jangad then approached the Versova police station where he met API Dayanand Taral who called up Mr Parekh and asked him to come for inquiry. A police official said, “But instead of taking Mr Parekh to the police station and making a station diary entry, Taral took him to a bungalow in Aram nagar area of Seven Bungalows in Versova where he was beaten up with bare hands by eight accused.” The bungalow was rented by one of the accused Sarabjit Singh. Both Singh and Jangad had come to Mumbai from Delhi to invest in the film industry.
The filmmaker was allowed to leave after they reached a settlement but was again threatened and called over to the bungalow where they made him sign a document stating that he would return the money. On Friday, Mr Parekh approached the police station after which an FIR was registered under sections 364 A (kidnapping), 386 (extortion), 395 (dacoity), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC against eight persons including four unknown.
Assistant commissioner of police of DN Nagar division, Arun Chavan said, “We have arrested three persons in the case.
The role of API is being investigated. If he is found guilty, appropriate action will be taken against him.” The arrested accused have been identified as Prashant Laxmeshwar, Jangad and Sarabjit Singh. Acting senior police inspector Dattatraya Patil of Versova police station said, “The three accused have been remanded to police custody till November 5. We are in the process of identifying the rest of the four accused. Further probe is on.”
