A city-based businessman has alleged that he had been illegally detained and tortured at a police station last month and the personnel there extorted Rs 4 lakh for his release after falsely implicating him in a criminal case.
Following the complaint filed by one Rooplal Khemji Patel, city police last evening booked a case against the five personnel, including an Assistant Police Inspector--all attached to Naupada police station, under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for wrongful confinement to extort property, or constrain to illegal act.
This has been stated in the daily crime report circulated to the media by the Thane Police and none of the police officers concerned are ready to speak on this issue.
According to Patel, API Nitin Patil, and police constables Rajendra Nikam, Sandeep Shirke, Kishore Thorat and Prakash Patil picked him up and detained him at the police station during June 9-11, on the charge of purchasing stolen goods--pressure cooker whistles.
Patel alleged that the police personnel tortured him and took Rs 4900 cash he was carrying at the time of the incident.
"They also raided his (Patel's) house and took away Rs. 19,900 in cash," the report said quoting the complaint.
"The accused also made him confess to having sold some of the stolen goods to another shopkeeper Hirji Patel. They extracted Rs. 4 lakh from Hirji to secure Patel's release," the press communique said.
The complainant also alleged that the policemen also took away five bags full of copper material from his shop.
Patel also accused the police personnel of making him and Hirji sign on some documents related to the "crime", which he said were fabricated and used for "investigation".
No arrest is made in this connection so far.
