Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Case against 5 members of flying squad for extorting Rs 85,000 from bizman in Thane

Thane: Police have registered a case against five members of a poll flying squad, including two constables, for allegedly extorting Rs 85,000 from a flower merchant after threatening him in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Sunday.

The incident took place on October 18 at Mharal Naka here.

The accused violated the model code of conduct, in place for the November 20 state assembly polls, stated the FIR.

The flower businessman and his friend were on way to Ahmednagar and Pune in a car and carrying Rs 7.5 lakh for making payments to farmers for purchases made during the Dussehra festival, the official from Ulhasnagar police station said.

The accused intercepted the car when it was proceeding towards Murbad and threatened the duo that their money will be seized and a case will be registered against them.

They allegedly extorted Rs 85,000 from the flower merchant, the official said.

The accused did not inform their seniors about the money found with the flower businessman, and also did not follow the set procedure for the raid and seizure, he said.

After the probe and a complaint by a poll official, the Ulhasnagar police on Saturday registered a case against the five accused under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 308(2) (extortion), 198 (public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person), 134 (assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft of property carried by a person) and 3(5) (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all), he said.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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