Extortion / ‘Special 26’ in Real! Mumbai Gang Poses as Tax Officials, Kidnaps Businessman

Mumbai, Sep 6: A crime straight out of a Bollywood script came to light in Mumbai when a businessman was kidnapped and threatened with arrest by a gang impersonating Income Tax and Crime Branch officials.

The group allegedly demanded ₹1 crore to “settle” the matter, echoing the plot of the film Special 26.

The victim, 49‑year‑old Rajkumar Kandasamy, a businessman from Sakinaka who runs an eye equipment business in Chakala, Andheri East, was targeted on July 17, 2026.

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The incident began when his office employee, Gyan Subhash Nainar, received a panicked call claiming that Income Tax and Crime Branch officials had raided the office.

The fake officials reportedly confiscated the mobile phones of all 11 employees and disabled CCTV cameras to prevent evidence being recorded.

Soon afterwards, Kandasamy himself received a call from an unidentified person claiming to be an Income Tax officer.

“I am calling from Income Tax. Your office is being raided. Come immediately, or we will take you away,” the caller allegedly warned. Alarmed, Kandasamy and his wife Priya booked an Uber cab to rush to the office.

At the gate of their residential society, two men on a motorcycle intercepted them. One suspect flashed a fake identity card, claimed to be an Income Tax officer, and forced the couple into the cab.

Their mobile phones were snatched, and while en route, accomplices joined in, including a female associate. The couple was taken against their will to the gang’s office.

Inside, six men and three women posed as an “investigation team.” One suspect produced a fake search warrant and obtained Kandasamy’s signature.

They invoked petty cash regulations, demanding ₹1.70 lakh immediately and threatening a penalty of ₹1.44 crore. Another accused escalated the demand, insisting on ₹1 crore to settle the matter and avoid arrest.

When Kandasamy asked for an official legal notice, the gang allegedly abused him and threatened dire consequences before leaving. Shaken, he contacted his chartered accountant and Income Tax officials, who confirmed no raid had taken place.

Following the revelation, Kandasamy lodged a complaint at Andheri Police Station. On September 4, 2026, police registered a case against nine unidentified accused under multiple sections of the IPC, including kidnapping, impersonation, and extortion.

Assistant Police Inspector Ramdas Kadam and his team examined CCTV footage from nearly 50 locations to trace the suspects. The investigation led police teams to Mumbai and Pune, where six individuals were arrested.

The arrested suspects were identified as Santosh Uday Khopatkar (37), Vinay Ramesh More (37), Prem Kishan Sabnani (50), Pragya Harish Main (27), Reshma Shamrao Warang (41), Sabina Hafiz Shaikh (48).

Three others — Shabina Shaikh (48), Jitendra More, and Ashok Shinde (57) — remain absconding, with police teams conducting searches to apprehend them.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade revealed that accused Sabnani already had three similar cases registered against him. “The gang allegedly targeted different individuals in separate incidents and carried out crimes using a similar method,” Nalawade said.

Investigators also discovered the involvement of Kandasamy’s former driver, dismissed about a year ago. He is suspected of providing crucial information about the businessman to the gang, enabling the conspiracy.

(IANS)