Thane: Two persons have been arrested from Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly posing as law enforcement officials and attempting to extort Rs 10 lakh from the driver of a tempo laden with food grains. The incident took place near Vitava in Kalwa area at around 05:00 on Tuesday and involved four persons posing as police and vigilance personnel. 

According to police officials, the group approached a tempo travelling from Mumbai to the Adharwadi jail at Kalyan in Thane. Posing as law enforcement agents, the four accused hitched a ride on the tempo and travelled some distance on it. 

Subsequently, the group started accusing the tempo driver of smuggling food grains and demanded Rs 10 lakh from him as bribe to prevent any action from being taken against him. 

The group even reportedly went so far as assaulting the driver before calling the owner of the grain shop and reiterating their demand for Rs 10 lakh. It was at this point that the shop owner reported the incident to the local police. Two of the accused have been arrested and efforts are on to nab the others. 

A case has been registered against the group under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 170 (personating a public servant), 341 (wrongful restraint), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention). 

With inputs from PTI.