Jogeshwari police have arrested two fraudsters who posed as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials and attempted to extort Rs 5,000 from a shopkeeper under the pretext of inspecting fire safety equipment.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Umesh Thakur (40) and Harshad Katpara (27). A case was registered against them on September 11 under Sections 204 and 125(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to police, the complainant, Chirag Kantariya (39), runs a garment shop on lease at the Pioneer Industries complex in Jogeshwari (East). On September 11, while he was at his shop, two unknown men approached him, introduced themselves as BMC staff, and even showed him identity cards.

They asked, “Do you have a fire safety bottle in your shop? Show it to us.” When Chirag showed them the bottle, they claimed it was empty and demanded a fine of Rs 5,000. When Chirag requested a receipt, one of them allegedly replied, “If you want a receipt, you’ll have to pay double.”

Finding their behaviour suspicious, Chirag and his wife immediately contacted their friend Atish Tiwari, who rushed to the shop. Atish examined the ID cards and discovered that they had expired; the validity mentioned was from April 10, 2025, to August 23.

Meanwhile, as Chirag attempted to verify their claims by contacting BMC officials, the duo tried to flee. However, the building’s security guard, Umesh Mandal, acted swiftly and caught them red-handed.

Upon being questioned, the two identified themselves as Umesh Thakur and Harshad Katpara. They were later handed over to the Jogeshwari police for further investigation.

Source