Pune: Three Towing Van Staff Held for Extorting Rs 3,000 From Vehicle Owner in Koregaon Park

Pune, 11th September 2026: Three contract employees working on a Pune traffic police towing van have been arrested for allegedly extorting Rs 3,000 from a vehicle owner after towing his car from a no-parking zone in Koregaon Park.

The accused have been identified as Akash Sawant, Sameer Ansari and Shaikh Shaukat Atik Ansari. A case has been registered against them at the Koregaon Park police station following a complaint by the vehicle owner.

According to police, the incident took place on June 20. The complainant had parked his four-wheeler in a no-parking zone in Koregaon Park. The towing van staff lifted the vehicle and took it to the traffic department office.

When the owner went to retrieve his vehicle, the accused allegedly told him that its registration was from Diu and Daman and that its Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate had expired. They allegedly threatened him with legal action and demanded a fine of Rs 10,000.

When the owner asked for an official receipt for the fine, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 3,000 instead to release the vehicle, telling him to collect the receipt later.

The owner subsequently made several visits to the traffic office over nearly two months seeking the receipt, but the accused allegedly kept avoiding him. He eventually approached the police, following which the anti-extortion squad of the crime branch launched an inquiry and arrested the three accused.

Police are investigating whether the accused had made similar demands from other motorists.