Mumbai: Man arrested for extorting money from relatives of jailed inmates

Mumbai: Police have arrested a man for allegedly duping the relatives of jailed inmates in Mumbai by posing as the PA of BJP MLA Ashish Shelar and allegedly extorting money from relatives by promising aid from the state government, Bandra Police said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Amin Irfan Bendrekar had allegedly contacted lawyers and obtained information about various clients on the pretext of being the PA of the BJP MLA. He claimed to the various relatives of inmates that the Maharashtra State government was planning to release prisoners to decongest the jails.
According to the police, the 24-year-old accused had imitated the voice of BJP MLA Ashish Shelar's PA and introduced himself as 'Sharma' to the lawyers and relatives of the jailed inmates. Following an investigation into the matter, it was also revealed that the accused also imitated the voice of the BJP MLA.
The accused is a resident of Nala Sopara in the Palghar district. Multiple Cases have been registered against him in various police stations in Mumbai. He allegedly took the lawyers into confidence and told the various families that the amount would be refunded once the government approved the release of the prisoners. The accused also allegedly extorted money from the relatives by citing various reasons, including claiming to the relatives that the money would be used for the payment of the medical expenses of prisoners.
Following a complaint into the matter, the Bandra police tracked down and arrested the accused. The police are reportedly questioning the accused and an investigation into the matter is still underway.