Pune police constable Baburao Popat Dhole has been arrested after a motorist alleged that he was threatened with official action and vehicle seizure on the Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass and asked to pay ₹5,000. The case was registered at Warje Malwadi police station after the motorist filed a complaint.
The complainant, identified as 23-year-old Shivkumar Bachchulal Saroj, is a resident of Achalpur in Uttar Pradesh, according to the report by Pudhari. Saroj told police that he was travelling on the bypass on the morning of the 29th when his vehicle was stopped near the Dukkarkhind area.
According to the complaint, Dhole threatened Saroj with action and warned that the vehicle could be seized. The constable allegedly demanded ₹5,000 while using the prospect of enforcement action to pressure the motorist. Frightened by the encounter, Saroj approached Warje police station and reported the incident.
Police subsequently took Dhole into custody. The report said that questioning led investigators to conclude that the constable had threatened the motorist and demanded money, following which he was arrested. A case of extortion has been registered against him. The allegations remain subject to the investigation and due legal process.
The reported location is significant because the Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass is a major movement corridor through Pune, carrying local and inter-city traffic. Encounters between motorists and enforcement personnel on such roads can directly affect public confidence in traffic regulation, particularly when official powers are allegedly used to demand money.
Police personnel are expected to exercise enforcement powers through documented procedures, including identifying violations and taking action under applicable law. The allegation in this case concerns an attempt to use the threat of action and vehicle seizure outside that transparent process. The report also said Dhole was posted at police headquarters, although he was allegedly attempting to collect money from a motorist on the highway.
The case places the conduct of individual enforcement personnel within a wider administrative concern: how roadside policing is monitored, how complaints from motorists are received, and how allegations of coercion are investigated. In this instance, the complainant’s approach to the local police station resulted in a formal case and the constable’s arrest, according to the supplied report.
Police Sub-Inspector Siddheshwar Raigonda is conducting the investigation. Further legal action will depend on the findings of that investigation and the subsequent proceedings.
