By PTI
MUMBAI: Two people were arrested for allegedly posing as Narcotics Control Bureau officials and trying to extort Rs 20 lakh from a woman, who committed suicide, Mumbai police said on Sunday.
Suraj Mohan Pardeshi (38) and Pravin Raghunath Walinbe (35) were arrested on Saturday, an official said.
A call was received on Thursday by Amboli police that a woman was about to end her life, and a team that rushed to the spot along with the caller found a 28-year-old woman hanging in a flat, the official said.
“A probe found that, on December 20, the woman and some of her friends had gone to a five star hotel for a party, where they were accosted by two people who introduced themselves as NCB officials and demanded Rs 20 lakh for not naming her in a drug FIR. She was told by them that a drug bust had taken place there,” he said.
“Distressed with constant calls for money from the two accused, the woman ended her life by hanging from the ceiling fan of her residence on Thursday. We arrested Pardeshi and Walinbe from Thane for abetment to suicide, extortion, cheating and other offences,” the official informed.
A senior police official said the woman, originally from West Bengal, is a struggling actor and was living in a rented flat.
He said some more people are under the scanner for their likely involvement in this extortion racket.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik, who has been hitting out at the NCB for alleged irregularities in recent drug probes, tweeted about the incident and demanded a “thorough investigation”.
“An actress has committed suicide within the limits of Oshiwara Police station. In the investigation, it has come to light that some people were extorting money by posing as NCB officers,” he tweeted.
He alleged NCB officials had made a “private army” to carry out the “business of extortion” and demanded that this angle be investigated.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend, or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
