Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Saurabh Tripathi, accused in the Angadia extortion case, has moved to the Sessions court seeking anticipatory bail. The next hearing on the plea is set for March 23. The Mumbai crime branch’s Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), investigating the case, recently named Tripathi as an accused in the case, citing fresh revelations.
Since the case was registered on February 18, Tripathi has remained absent. He was also transferred from the DCP zone to the post of DCP operations, but he is yet to take charge.
Last year, in December, the Angadia Association approached then Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale, alleging Tripathi, then DCP Zone 2, demanded Rs 10 lakh per month to “allow” them to run their business. Nagrale then appointed Additional Commissioner Dilip Sawant of the South region to probe the allegations.
On Sawant’s complaint, an offence of extortion was registered at LT Marg police station, which led to the arrest of — Inspector Om Wangate, API Nitin Kadam and PSI Samadhan Jamdade– from the police station. According to police, the DCP was later charged after an investigation.
The Mumbai police have also sent a letter to the state home department for DCP’s suspension following the extortion case against him and a department inquiry as an administrative action. In their allegation, the Angadia Association also claimed that the arrested officers detained a few Angadias on multiple occasions in December and extorted over Rs 1820 lakh from them by threatening to book them or tip the Income Tax department about their illegal activities.
Tripathi, a 2010 batch IPS officer, is also an MBBS and MD (dermatology), having studied at BYL Nair hospital in Mumbai. He has also served as DCP zone 4 in Mumbai, DCP in the traffic police, and DCP SB (1). He was also the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Ahmednagar.
