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Fake BMC officer held for demanding Rs15000 (Image: Internet)
New Delhi: The Juhu police arrested 36-year-old Kevan Kiran Joshi for allegedly impersonating a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officer and demanding ₹15,000 from 71-year-old musician Arvind Mehra.
Joshi reportedly targeted Mehra during ongoing renovation work at his flat, claiming the debris stored temporarily in the society compound could lead to a ₹1.5 lakh fine. Suspicious of the man’s behavior, Mehra alerted the authorities, leading to Joshi’s arrest.
Arvind Mehra, 71, a music professional living in Juhu, Vile Parle (West) has been renovating his flat for the past 15 days. During the work debris was temporarily stored in the society compound with prior permission from the building management.
Mehra’s house staff, Ramprasad Sharma,59, noticed that someone claiming to be a BMC official had been approaching them over the past four days. The man warned that Mehra could face a fine of ₹1.5 lakh for the debris, but the situation could be “settled” for a smaller amount.
On the morning of April 6, building security guard Dharmendra Kumar informed Mehra that BMC officials had arrived. When a staff member went downstairs, he found a man near the debris claiming to be a BMC officer.
The man, later identified as Kevan Kiran Joshi, 36, insisted on meeting Mehra and even showed a BMC identity card. He entered the flat and told Mehra he could cancel a ₹1.5 lakh fine if ₹15,000 was paid. Suspicious, Mehra immediately alerted the police.
A beat marshal arrived at the scene and questioned Joshi. He initially claimed to be a BMC supervisor in the K West ward, but eventually admitted that he was no longer employed by the BMC and had previously worked as a clean-up marshal a post that has since been discontinued.
Based on the complaint by Ramprasad Sharma, the Juhu police registered a case against Joshi under Sections 324(4) (criminal trespass) and 204 (personating a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Joshi was arrested the same day. the Police have warned residents to verify the identity of officials before making any payments and to report suspicious behavior immediately.
