At stake was a 2-acre plot valued at Rs 400 crore
Team Clarion
MUMBAI – An FIR has been lodged against four suspended policemen for planting drugs on a suspect before taking him into custody. The incident was caught on camera involving the policemen attached to Khar police station. CCTV footage clearly showed them planting drugs on the suspect.
The case was registered against sub-inspector Vishwanath Omble and constables Sagar Kamble, Imran Shaikh, and Dabang Shinde, following an inquiry by an assistant commissioner-rank officer that lasted over three months, a report in The Indian Express said on Saturday.
The policemen have been charged with kidnapping, wrongful confinement, and causing hurt using dangerous means.
The case was filed based on a complaint from Dylan Estbeiro, who alleged that on August 30, plainclothes policemen entered the farm he manages for his employer and friend, Shahbaz Khan, in the Kalina-Kurla area.
The suspended officers allegedly targeted Estbeiro’s employer and friend Shahbaz Khan (32), who owns a 2-acre plot in Kalina valued at Rs 400 crore. Khan revealed that the officers allegedly planned the drug-planting incident following a developer’s instructions who was interested in the plot. “During the departmental inquiry, the victim was asked to answer 200 questions by the investigating officers,” media reports quoted DCP (Zone IX) Dikshit Gedam as saying.
The incident was captured on CCTV, unknown to the four officers. Khan and Estbeiro nearly fell victim to their staged drug raid. “They even offered me Rs 20 lakh to prevent me from posting CCTV footage on social media that showed them planting drugs in Estbeiro’s pant pocket, Khan said.
The viral CCTV footage showed two policemen frisking a man while two others were present. One of the officers was seen taking something from his pocket and planting it on the suspect, the report added.
Estbeiro was taken to the police station for possession of 20 grams of mephedrone but was released after an inquiry when the footage went viral.
