PUNE: A man falsely accused a 36-year-old
software engineer of causing a serious accident and cheated the latter of Rs30,000.
In the incident that took place in
Wakad at 2pm on April 8, the man intercepted the complainant’s car, alleging that he was driving in the wrong direction and hit his pregnant wife’s two-wheeler, causing serious injuries to her.
The man got aggressive and gave the rattled complainant little time to gather his wits. Claiming to be “politically connected” and threatening to “thrash him and burn down the car”, the suspect demanded money for medical expenses. When the techie said he didn’t have enough cash, the man insisted he withdraw cash.
The shaken techie ended up paying Rs30,000 to “settle” the matter on the spot. It was only after he returned home and discussed the incident with his friends and family that he realized he was duped.
The techie approached Wakad police, who registered a case under sections 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. “We have ascertained the identity of the suspect. He will soon be arrested,” said sub-inspector Harish Mane.
Mane said that the complainant works in a software company in
Kharadi and lives in Wakad. “Around 2pm on April 8, (the complainant) was driving home in his car when a stranger intercepted him. He accused the techie of the car in the wrong direction and causing a major accident to his wife at Wakad chowk,” Mane said.
As per Mane, the man also claimed that his wife was pregnant and had to be rushed to a private hospital in
Chinchwad. “He started demanding money from the engineer for medical expenses,” Mane said.
At first, the shocked complainant tried to extricate himself from the situation by offering whatever money he had in his wallet. The man forced the techie out of the car and threatened to set his car on fire and set goons on him. “Nervous after the constant threats, the techie went to a nearby ATM, withdrew cash and gave the man Rs30,000,” Mane said.
Representative image