Men posing as food officials threaten to seal sweet shop, dupe owner of Rs 6 lakh
The sweet shop owner alleged that the accused threatened to seal his establishment and register a case against him.
A sweet shop owner in Maharashtra's Vasai has alleged that four people posing as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials extorted Rs 6 lakh from him by threatening action against his business.
Based on a complaint filed by businessman Rohit Sukhadiya, the Manikpur Police have registered a case against four accused and launched an investigation.
According to the complaint, on June 23, Vijay Jadhav, Swati Tulaskar, Tejas Rathod and their associates visited Sukhadiya's sweet shop, claiming to be officials from the Food and Drug Administration department.
The accused allegedly inspected food items and biscuit packets at the shop and claimed that some products had expired. They then threatened to seal the establishment, register a case against the owner, and tarnish his reputation through media reports, the complaint said.
Sukhadiya alleged that the accused later called him to different locations and initially demanded Rs 12 lakh to "settle" the matter. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 6 lakh.
Fearing legal action and damage to his business, the complainant said he paid the accused a total of Rs 6 lakh in multiple instalments.
Police have booked Vijay Jadhav, Swati Tulaskar, Tejas Rathod and another associate on charges including cheating, extortion and impersonating government officials.
According to police sources, Jadhav and Tulaskar have also been named in a previous case registered at Borivali Police Station.