In an act of bravery, a young woman outsmarted a man imposing as a police officer, who allegedly tried to extort INR 50,000 from her over an e-cigarette (vape) possession in Mumbai's suburban area.
The man, dressed in plain clothes, allegedly arrested the woman under suspicious circumstances and demanded a fine from her while taking her in an auto-rickshaw. However, the woman sensed something was wrong and made a video of him on the way instantly making him regret his actions.
The clip has gone viral, sparking outrage and raising concerns over rising scams involving fake law enforcement officers in the city.
This incident occurred near the Powai area in Mumbai where the man, claiming to be a police officer, forcefully detained her. He demanded INR 50,000 and threatened to take her to the Powai police station if she refused to pay.
The video begins with the woman seated inside an auto-rickshaw with a man trying to hide himself from the camera. I’m currently on MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) Road and this man followed me and got into my auto-rickshaw." She adds, "He’s forcibly trying to take me to Powai Chowki.”
Her voice grows firmer as she continues, “Now, since I am recording this video, he is getting scared... You cannot take me anywhere without a female police officer present.”
The fake officer was rattled by the woman’s defense encounter on record and got off the auto immediately and fled the scene.
However, the police force has not yet responded on the video.
Meanwhile in a similar extortion case, in September, a 36-year-old woman lawyer was induced to strip on a video call and transfer INR 50,000 to cyber scammers recently.
The fraudsters first threatened the woman with arrest in a money laundering case. To avoid it, she was told she had to be at an isolated place for a "confidential inquiry" and video-inspected without clothes by a woman officer for "weapons and injury marks".