Woman cop duped by crook posing as prospective groom

Nagpur: Woman constable Sonali Moudekar, attached to passport verification wing of Special Branch, was duped of Rs 79,000 by a person she met on a matrimonial website in December last year.
An offence was registered at Sadar police station following drama near Administrative Building number 2 in the vicinity of police control room, from where the man, who identified himself as Kundan Sathawane, fled on a bike after realizing he had been exposed by the smart woman cop. When she tried to grab him, Sathawane managed to wriggle out of her grasp and disappeared through the crowd. The cops have launched a search for him.
Sonali, trying to make a fresh start in life, had come in contact with Sathawane, who also claimed to have gone through a divorce. He had introduced himself as an engineer working in MSEDCL. After a brief introduction, Sathawane had started visiting the cops’ residence and also met a number of her relatives.
Sathawane then started requesting Sonali for loans to help with medical treatment of his brother. Police said Sonali had started giving some money to Sathawane. Over time, Sonali had already handed over substantial amount to Sathawane in cash and also transferred some to his account.
Sathawane would defer any discussion on finalizing their marriage on the pretext of poor medical condition of his father and brother. Sathawane had also never taken Sonali to his residence, or even introduced her to his family, said police.
Sonali, growing suspicion about Sathawane’s behaviour, and with a view to verify his claims, visited the MSEDCL office at Katol Road to inquire about him. She was stunned to learn that there was no one by the name Sathawane working for MSEDCL as engineer.
To cross-check, Sonali summoned Sathawane near the administrative building. Sathawane was stumped when Sonali revealed her visit to MSEDCL office. A flabbergasted Sathawane acted offended and started an argument with her, before suddenly starting his bike and feeing the place.
Sonali approached Sadar police station where offences of cheating and threatening have been registered against Sathawane. He has also been booked for impersonating a government official. Sathawane is yet to be traced, said Senior PI of Sadar Mahesh Bansode.