Mumbai: Four Family Members Booked in Kandivali for Blackmailing and Extorting Rs 10 Lakh from Police Officer

Mumbai: Four Family Members Booked in Kandivali for Blackmailing and Extorting Rs 10 Lakh from Police Officer

A shocking case of blackmail and extortion targeting a police officer has come to light in the Kandivali area. The police have registered a case under extortion and IT Act sections against four members of the same family for allegedly threatening and demanding Rs 10 lakh from the officer. The accused have been identified as Kanchan Vijay Desai, her mother Shantidevi Saroj, her sister Shila Saroj, and her brother Rajesh alias Raju Saroj.

According to the investigation, the accused allegedly threatened to leak obscene photos of the complainant on social media and file a false rape case against him. They had already extorted Rs 2.7 lakh from him before the matter was brought to the police’s attention. Senior officials have taken serious note of the case and directed the Samta Nagar police to investigate and submit a detailed report.

The complainant is an Assistant Police Inspector (API) in the Maharashtra Police Department. He joined the force as a Sub-Inspector in 2012 and had previously worked at Kherwadi and Samta Nagar police stations. In 2021, he was promoted to Assistant Police Inspector and transferred to Nanded, where he is currently serving.

During his tenure at Samta Nagar police station, he was assigned the responsibility of Beat No. 1. In 2019, he came into contact with Kanchan Desai, whom he had never met before. Their interactions increased after she approached him for help in counseling her brother Ranjit, who was allegedly addicted to drugs. Over time, Kanchan developed feelings for him and proposed a relationship. However, he declined, stating that he was married and did not wish to jeopardize his marriage.

During the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, the officer’s wife had traveled to her maternal home in Latur and was unable to return to Mumbai due to travel restrictions. Meanwhile, the officer himself contracted COVID-19 and was placed under quarantine. During this period, his conversations with Kanchan intensified. In June 2020, she visited him at his police quarters in Kandivali along with her brother Ranjit. After sending Ranjit outside, she tried to get intimate with him. However, he rejected her advances, reiterating that he was married.

In March 2021, Kanchan, along with her brother Rajesh, visited him at the Poinsur Beat Chowki and demanded Rs 10 lakh. She threatened to file a false rape case against him and inform his wife about their interactions if he refused. Fearing defamation, he paid her Rs 75,000. Subsequently, Kanchan continued blackmailing him, threatening to leak their photos on social media.

In August 2021, Kanchan, along with her mother and sister, again demanded Rs 10 lakh. When he refused, they verbally abused him and threatened to tarnish his reputation. Under pressure, he gave her Rs 35,000. Meanwhile, Rajesh sent an obscene photo of the officer on WhatsApp, threatening to leak it online.

Kanchan also tried to emotionally manipulate him by claiming she was in an abusive marriage and wished to separate from her husband. When he started distancing himself, she resorted to self-harm, making cuts on her hands with a blade and later even consuming poison in an attempt to pressurize him.

By April 2023, the officer was under immense mental stress due to continuous threats. He even met with a car accident, resulting in damages worth Rs 6 lakh. While he was hospitalized, Kanchan visited him and again demanded money. In June 2023, she falsely accused him of forcing himself on her at her sister’s house, despite records proving that he was on duty at Vadavan police station that day.

Legal Action Initiated

The harassment escalated when Kanchan went missing for over two weeks in July 2023. Her family—mother Shantidevi, brother Rajesh, and sister Shila—blamed the officer for her disappearance and tried to further intimidate him. They also falsely linked him to a woman's dead body found in Malvani and Virar areas. This relentless harassment pushed him into depression, requiring medical treatment.

Eventually, the officer decided to take legal action and filed a complaint at Samta Nagar police station. After a thorough investigation, the police booked Kanchan Desai, Shantidevi, Shila, and Rajesh under extortion and IT Act provisions. Further inquiry is underway, and the police are expected to take stringent legal action against the accused soon.