Women Stage Molestation, Then Demand Rs 10 Crore, Arrested In Mumbai

Two women have been arrested in Mumbai for allegedly demanding a ransom of Rs 10 crore in a staged molestation case. The women, identified as Hemlata Aditya Patkar alias Hemlata Bane (39) and Amrina Iqbal Zaveri alias Alice alias Amrina Matthew Fernandes (33), were arrested by Mumbai Police's Anti-Extortion Cell while accepting a bribe. The Mumbai Police had laid a trap based on a businessman's complaint.

A Lift Ride And Molestation Case

The complainant, Arvind Goyal, is a businessman residing in Goregaon West and runs a firm called 'Goyal & Sons Infra LLP'. His son, Ritam, got engaged to Yashvi Shah on November 5. A party was held at a hotel in the Amboli area on the night of November 14 to celebrate the engagement.

After the party, around 2:40 am on November 15, Ritam, his fiancee Yashvi, her brother, and a friend were coming down in the elevator when an unknown woman entered. The woman alleged that Ritam had shone a laser light on her. This led to an argument, which escalated into an argument.

As the elevator reached the ground floor, the woman started shouting and created a scene. Later, a case of molestation was registered at the Amboli police station.

Rs 10 Crore 'Settlement' Demand

The two women allegedly asked for Rs 10 crore to settle the case outside the court. On December 20, Hemlata Patkar called Arvind Goyal and asked him to meet at a cafe in Andheri West. There, she threatened him to pay or see his son spend the rest of his life in jail, bringing shame to the family.

After several negotiations, the women reduced the settlement amount to Rs 5.5 crore.

Together with the businessman, the Mumbai Police's Anti-Extortion Cell laid a trap for the two women. The accused were called to the Lower Parel area to offer a Rs 1.5 crore of bribe in cash, including fake currency notes. The police arrested the two women red-handed and registered a First Information Report (FIR).

A third accused, Utkarsh, is also involved in the extortion case and is currently on the run. A search is underway to arrest him, and an investigation into the matter has been launched.