Mumbai: The city Crime Branch has arrested a police sub-inspector (PSI) in connection with a Rs 10 lakh cheating case linked to alleged conman Mohammed Khatib alias Dr Raj Khatib, who is accused of impersonating a senior police officer and duping multiple victims over several years.PSI Sanjay Rambhau Jadhav (53), a resident of Vadgaon Maval in Pune district, was arrested by Unit 3 of the Crime Branch after his name surfaced during the investigation into a series of cheating cases allegedly orchestrated by Khatib.The latest case is based on a complaint filed by Gujarat-based real estate businessman Nitin Chaudhary. According to the FIR, in Aug 2020, Khatib, Jadhav and Mahsab Ghaus Khatib allegedly induced Chaudhary into paying Rs 10 lakh in cash as commission by promising to facilitate the release of Rs 1 crore that was supposedly due to his friend, Alpesh Patel. Police said the promised work was never carried out and the money was not returned.Police said that technical evidence showed Jadhav was in regular contact with Raj Khatib and had accompanied him to a meeting with the complainant at a hotel near Mumbai airport, where he allegedly introduced himself as a Crime Branch officer. Further, it was revealed that Jadhav has two previous cheating cases registered against him—one at Vashi Police Station (2022) and another at Sanpada police station (2024).Chaudhary told investigators that he did not approach the police earlier because he believed Khatib was a genuine senior police officer and feared repercussions. He came forward only after learning through media reports that Khatib had been arrested in another cheating case involving impersonation.The arrest comes days after the Crime Branch booked Khatib in a separate case in which he allegedly cheated a businessman of ₹16 lakh on the pretext of recovering money from a builder. During that probe, police also arrested Dharmendra Kumar, who allegedly posed as a doctor for nearly 28 years in Juhu, organised medical camps, treated patients and developed contacts in Bollywood circles.The investigation has now expanded further after a South Mumbai woman lodged an FIR accusing Khatib of cheating her family, attempting to sexually assault her, pressuring her to convert to Islam and duping them of Rs 5 lakh on the pretext of securing pharmaceutical distributorships.The complainant said she met Khatib in 2010 through a common acquaintance involved in land deals and believed him to be a senior police officer. She alleged that he later took her to Ajmer and, along with an associate, repeatedly pressured her to convert to Islam. She also alleged that during a business trip to Miraj and Sangli in 2011, Khatib booked only one hotel room and attempted to force her to undress.The woman further alleged that between 2018 and 2019, Khatib introduced her family to Dharmendra Kumar, who claimed to be an oncologist and took ₹5 lakh for promised pharmaceutical distributorships. When she sought a refund, Kumar allegedly demanded another ₹10 lakh and threatened her.The woman told police she remained silent for years because she feared Khatib’s apparent position in the police force and lacked family support.
