Mumbai woman arrested for extorting in-laws

Sadhana, the accused, demanded that her in-laws be arrested immediately, but the police asked her to record her statement first. Representation pic

The Dindoshi police on Saturday arrested a 23-year-old woman who allegedly tried to extort money from her in-laws by threatening to tell the police that she had been gang-raped at their residence by several people, including her own husband and brother-in-law.

The investigation has revealed that the woman committed this act at the behest of her husband as they wanted to purchase a house in Vasai. They were short of money and therefore, they hatched the plan.

The accused woman, Sadhna Ahivale alias Sadhna Chauhan, 23, was apprehended on Saturday. The investigators found out that she committed this act at the behest of her husband, Raam Ahivale, as the couple were trying to purchase a house in Vasai and devised this plan due to financial constraints.

The complainant, Sonali Ahivale, resides in Santosh Nagar, Goregaon East, with her husband, Lakhan, two children, younger brother-in-law Sonu, mother-in-law,and grandmother-in-law.

While Raam, who is absconding, is the brother-in-law of the complainant, Sadhana is his second wife.

The duo visited the complainant's house on January 5, where they had dinner together. The next morning, Raam left the house on the pretext of some work while Sadhana stayed behind. In the evening, she approached the police station and alleged that her husband and two brothers-in-law had raped her inside the house in front of the family, compelling the police to make immediate arrests.

Responding to the seriousness of the case, under the guidance of DCP Smita Patil of Zone 12, Senior Inspector Jeevan Kharat and PSI Sandeep Vatre initiated the investigation. During this process, Sadhana insisted on the immediate arrest of all accused, but the police, following due procedure, requested her to record her
statement first.

The next morning, Sonali approached the police station, revealing that Sadhana was attempting to extort Rs 3 lakh from the family, threatening to implicate them in a false gang rape case. The investigation, which included checking CCTV camera footage and interrogating the complainant's family, confirmed that Sadhana was making false allegations.

A crucial witness, a 75-year-old grandmother-in-law of Sadhna, had overheard the conversation where Sadhana demanded money from Sonali and her husband. Subsequent investigations confirmed Sadhana's extortion attempt, leading to her arrest. During interrogation, Sadhana confessed to the crime and disclosed that her husband was the mastermind of the scheme.

Habitual offender

Further investigation revealed Sadhana's history as a habitual offender who had committed similar crimes in the past, extorting money from two individuals with whom she shares a child.

Sadhana, who had been living with her mother and relatives in Vasai, met Raam, and they developed a romantic relationship. Despite the latter existing marriage, they married in a temple four months ago. The couple's financial struggles led them to concoct this plan, as they aimed to purchase a house in Vasai, the officer added.

"This incident sheds light on false accusations and highlights the importance of a thorough investigation before making arrests. Swift action based on incomplete information could have potentially ruined an innocent family. As per the Supreme Court's guidelines, I believe in the importance of the police registering a case promptly but refraining from making hasty arrests. Arrests should be made only when sufficient evidence is found during the investigation," said Advocate Mahesh Rajpopat.

23 years
Age of the accused