Pune: Koregaon Park Police Constable Suspended For Blackmailing Couples Using Hotel Booking Information
Koregaon Park, 3rd August 2024: In a shocking turn of events, Sandeep Shinde, a police constable from the Koregaon Park police station, has been accused of blackmailing a couple using personal information they had provided while booking a hotel in Koregaon Park.
Shinde, who was posted with the Local Intelligence Branch (LIB) of the Koregaon Park police station, allegedly obtained the personal details of guests from the hotel manager and used this information for extortion. The issue came to light when a distressed youth staying at Hotel Irish in Koregaon Park filed a complaint after receiving threats from Shinde.
Hotel guests are required to submit personal documents such as Aadhaar cards, driving licenses, and phone numbers during the booking process. It has been alleged that Shinde misused these documents, acquired from the hotel management, to intimidate guests.
“The fear of repercussions led us to hand over customer records to Shinde. He used this information to threaten couples through phone calls, messages, and WhatsApp”, a hotel staff said.
The situation escalated when one of the victims, fearing for his privacy and safety, approached the Koregaon Park Police Station to file a complaint. The inquiry revealed that Shinde had sent several threatening messages and had called the man for a meeting. The complainant provided all the evidence, including screenshots of the messages, to the police.
Taking immediate action, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Smartana Patil suspended Shinde. “We called the complainant and verified his complaint. It was revealed that Shinde used personal information to harass the man who visited the hotel with his friend. After a preliminary inquiry, we have suspended constable Shinde and the probe is ongoing,” said DCP Patil.
