MUMBAI: A South Mumbai-based woman doctor allegedly hired an impersonator to pose as a senior government official and influence police action in a cheque bounce case, paying him nearly Rs 4 lakh for the job, according to a chargesheet filed by the city crime branch.The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of Mumbai Crime Branch has filed a 350-page chargesheet against Mohammed Tariq Pathan and co-accused Dr Asmita Sarang, accusing them of falsely personating a public servant, cheating by personation, causing disappearance of evidence and offences under the Information Technology Act.According to investigators, Pathan allegedly posed as “IAS Pawan Kumar Yadav, PS to Union Home Minister Amit Shah” and made threatening calls to Delhi Police personnel in an attempt to prevent the execution of a bailable warrant issued against Dr Sarang in a cheque dishonour case.The case originated from a complaint lodged by Delhi Police Constable Hanumantu Raju of Connaught Place Police Station, who had travelled to Mumbai in March 2026 to execute a bailable warrant against Sarang in a case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. When he found her residence locked, he contacted Sarang, who allegedly told him to return as he would soon receive instructions from his superiors.Soon afterwards, Raju allegedly received calls from a person claiming to be “IAS Pawan Kumar Yadav, PS to Amit Shah,” warning him against proceeding with the warrant. Suspecting foul play, the constable alerted Mumbai Police, which traced the number and eventually arrested Pathan from Vashi in Navi Mumbai.During the investigation, police allegedly uncovered a financial trail linking Sarang and Pathan. Bank records cited in the chargesheet show that Sarang transferred Rs 3.38 lakh to Pathan through multiple transactions between February 24 and March 3, 2026. The transfers ranged from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1.53 lakh and were made from her SVC Cooperative Bank account to Pathan’s AU Small Finance Bank account. Investigators have stated that the payments were made to influence the execution of the warrant and prevent police action against Sarang.Police also relied on bank statements indicating that Sarang paid Pathan approximately Rs 4 lakh in total for the alleged operation.The probe further revealed that several SIM cards allegedly used by Pathan were registered in the names of other individuals, including Prosenjit Sen, Swapnil Dengle and Ganesh Parave. Sen told investigators that he had procured one SIM card and handed it over to Pathan for Rs 3,000.Investigators seized three mobile phones from Pathan. Forensic extraction of the devices allegedly revealed contacts saved under names such as “IAS Pawan Yadav PS To Amit Shah.” Call Detail Records cited in the chargesheet also showed frequent communication between Sarang and Pathan before and after the threatening calls were made to Constable Raju.
