Man Posing as Pollution Board Officer Arrested in Goregaon East for Extortion
The Vanrai police have arrested a 29-year-old unemployed man from Badlapur for allegedly impersonating a field officer from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and extorting money from a factory owner in Goregaon East.
The accused has been identified as Swaraj Ghosalkar. According to the police, Ghosalkar used the alias Sachin Mahadik while presenting himself as an MPCB official and threatened factory owners with action over alleged violations of pollution-control norms. Police said the accused had studied up to Class 12 and drew inspiration from the movie Special 26.
The incident began on August 25 at around 12.53 pm when the accused visited Lakshmi Metallurgical and Marine Engineers, located at Kothari Industrial Estate in Goregaon East. The company is owned by 52-year-old Shailesh Povale, a resident of Vishweshwar Road in Goregaon East.
Povale was informed by his accountant, Vijay Mandavkar, that an MPCB officer wished to meet him. When Povale asked to see an identity card, the visitor produced a visiting card displaying the name and designation of Field Officer Sachin Mahadik along with the Sion office address of the MPCB. When asked about a previous officer who used to conduct inspections, Ghosalkar claimed his team was now handling the visits.
The accused threatened to file a false pollution report against the company unless he was paid. Following the threat, Povale directed his accountant to hand over Rs 10,000 in cash. After the man left, Povale checked with BMC consultant Kailas Mane, who confirmed that no officer named Sachin Mahadik worked with the MPCB.
Later that night, at around 9.12 pm, Ghosalkar contacted Povale via WhatsApp, demanding an additional Rs 25,000 purportedly for his senior officers. During subsequent calls, the demand was negotiated down to Rs 12,000 via Google Pay. Povale claimed he could not transfer the money digitally and invited him to collect cash at the factory the next morning at 11 am.
When Ghosalkar arrived at the Goregaon East factory at around 10 am on August 26, Povale alerted the police control room. Vanrai police personnel reached the location and took Ghosalkar into custody. He has been booked for cheating and impersonation, and police are investigating if he targeted other industrial units in the area.
