A 26-year-old resident of Pune suffering from renal failure has been cheating people since 2011 in the hope of getting arrested and receiving free dialysis treatment in prison. So far, 19 cases of cheating and impersonation have been registered against Amit Jagannath Kamble.
The Raigad Local Crime Branch (LCB) said Mr. Kamble would pose as a doctor, social activist, politician or police officer and con people by making ‘prank calls’.
On November 29, Mr. Kamble posed as police sub-inspector Patil from the police control room and made a call to Kishore Mhatre, an ambulance driver.
“Mr. Kamble told the driver that the police needed an ambulance to shift a body to Bengaluru. He also told Mr. Mhatre that he could not pay for the diesel now as the procedure to get the money for fuel sanctioned from the police department was time-consuming. He instructed Mr. Mhatre to secure a diesel card from the police department by paying ₹10,000. The accused then gave him an account number to deposit the money. When Mr. Mhatre realised he had been cheated, he filed a complaint with the Alibaug police. The police were able to nab Mr. Kamble as he had used his own mobile number to make the calls. He used his personal phone with the intention of getting caught. Mr. Kamble was traced and arrested in Pune on December 26,” said police sub-inspector Amol Valsang from the LCB.
‘Abandoned by uncle’
The police also arrested Vishnu Rambahadur Giri (27) as the bank account where the money was transferred belonged to him. Mr. Valsang said, “Both the kidneys of Mr. Kamble have failed and he has no relatives. Ever since his uncle abandoned him, he has been cheating people in order to get arrested and jailed. While the court granted bail to Mr. Kamble, Mr. Giri has been remanded in judicial custody.
Police inspector Jamil Shaikh from LCB said, “Mr. Kamble would get arrested in every case, but the court would always grant him bail owing to his health condition. Then he would cheat another person in the hope of getting arrested again.”
In December 2017, the Ahmednagar police arrested Mr. Kamble after he made calls to the Ahmednagar district prison. He claimed to be the personal assistant of the Chief Minister and asked the jail officials to shift the convicts in the Kopardi rape and murder case to the Yerwada Central Prison as their lives were under threat.
Mr. Kamble was arrested for the first time by the Hadapsar police for posing as the then home minister R.R. Patil’s personal assistant.