Pune Crime: 32-Year-Old Woman Impersonating Lawyer Nabbed For Duping Multiple Victims
The Pune Police have arrested a 32-year-old woman, who posed as a lawyer and extorted money from victims by deceiving them with false promises of legal help, officials said on Thursday.
The accused has been identified as Snehal Harishchandra Kamble (32), a resident of Loni Kalbhor.
The matter came to light on Wednesday when police laid a trap and arrested Kamble following a complaint by a farmer, Bapurao Kaddu Satpute (63), a native of Ahmednagar district.
According to the police, Kamble took advantage of the victims' illiteracy and lack of awareness, targeting and defrauding many people.
In a recent case, Kamble allegedly extorted a total of ₹5.94 lakh from Satpute by claiming to be a legal expert and promising to help him get a legal separation of his son from his daughter-in-law.
Kamble allegedly took cash and bank transfers from Satpute multiple times under the pretext of legal procedures. Furthermore, she threatened Satpute by falsely informing him that his daughter-in-law had filed cases of rape and assault against him and his son, and had even lodged a complaint with the Women’s Commission.
By narrating this false story, she coerced him into believing he needed to pay the police and court officials to avoid the arrest of himself and his son.
Frustrated by legal threats and financial exploitation, Satpute informed the police about the matter.
Rajendra Panhale, Senior Police Inspector of Loni Kalbhor Police Station, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “Acting on the complaint, we laid a trap to catch Kamble red-handed.” She was caught while accepting ₹15,000 in cash from the complainant at her office in Loni Kalbhor.
During the search operation, multiple FIR copies, complaint applications, property documents, and other suspicious papers indicating a broader pattern of fraud were seized. Kamble has no legal documents to prove she is a qualified advocate. She has defrauded many people over the past few years.
Accordingly, action has been taken under Sections 308(2)(3), 318(4), and 319(1)(2) of the BNS Act.
Rajkumar Shinde, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5), speaking to this newspaper, said, “Apart from this case, Kamble is wanted in several other cases for impersonating a lawyer and police officer.”
Two more complainants have since come forward. “The number could be higher. We urge other victims to lodge FIRs at their local police stations,” Shinde added.
The matter is under investigation, and other suspects involved in the crime will be arrested soon.
news