Bizman locks himself up in Bandra five-star room to evade arrest
Finally, the police use a spare key to open the door and take him into custody.
A 22-hour drama ensued at a five-star hotel in Bandra when a businessman, accused of forgery and cheating, locked himself up in his room after police landed at his doorstep on Tuesday night to arrest him. The drama finally ended at 8 pm on Wednesday with the businessman’s arrest with help of a spare key from the hotel authorities and was taken to Marine Drive police station.
The accused – 45-year-old Pravin Kumar Rai – had locked himself inside his 18th-floor room at Taj Lands End hotel after Marine Drive police got there to arrest him at 10 pm on Tuesday.
A police source from Marine Drive police station said, “Rai opened the door to his room when the policemen knocked, thinking that it was room service. But he immediately shut the door when he saw the cops.”
Rai tried his best to negotiate his freedom with the four police officials standing outside his door, the source added.
He had also managed to contact his lawyers, who slipped in his anticipatory bail application paper under his door to sign at 2am on Wednesday.
In the meantime, the 50-odd guests on the 18th floor of the hotel were left wondering why four men were waiting outside one of the rooms. However, the four were policemen in mufti and the hotel authorities ensured the rest of the hotel functioned normally.
Manoj Kumar Sharma, DCP (Zone I), said, “We had contacted the hotel authorities for permission to break down the door but they refused. We later got a spare key from them and opened the door to arrest him on Wednesday.”
The Marine Drive police had been on the lookout for Rai since August 1, when the police complaint was filed.
Sinwasan had alleged in his complaint that he had given Rs 98 lakh to Rai last year as a fee for a loan that the latter had promised. He claimed that Rai had even provided a contract for the same.
However, when Rai stopped entertaining his requests for the loan and when Sinwasan discovered that the signature of the accused in the contract was forged, he filed the police complaint.
According to the police, Rai had been putting up at various hotels in the city since the complaint was launched in order to evade arrest.
The police reached Taj Lands End on Tuesday night after receiving information that he had checked into the hotel two days ago.
After his arrest on Wednesday, Rai was taken out of a back exit of the hotel in order to avoid attention from the other guests. He was taken to the Marine Drive police station.
A spokesperson from Taj Lands Hotel confirmed the incident with Mumbai Mirror. “We cannot provide details about our guests but we extended as much help as we could to the police,” the spokesperson added.
The police were at Rai’s hotel room till late on Wednesday, conducting the spot-panchama.
Rai has been booked under Sections 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (Committing forgery, intending that the document or electronic record forged shall be used for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (Using as genuine a forged document) and has been taken into police custody.
A 22-hour drama ensued at a five-star hotel in Bandra when a businessman, accused of forgery and cheating, locked himself up in his room after police landed at his doorstep on Tuesday night to arrest him. The drama finally ended at 8 pm on Wednesday with the businessman’s arrest with help of a spare key from the hotel authorities and was taken to Marine Drive police station.
The accused – 45-year-old Pravin Kumar Rai – had locked himself inside his 18th-floor room at Taj Lands End hotel after Marine Drive police got there to arrest him at 10 pm on Tuesday.
Rai, who owns micro-financing firms in Delhi and Mumbai, has been accused by a city-based businessman -- Biswajeet Sinwasan -- of duping him of Rs 98 lakh.
A police source from Marine Drive police station said, “Rai opened the door to his room when the policemen knocked, thinking that it was room service. But he immediately shut the door when he saw the cops.”
Rai tried his best to negotiate his freedom with the four police officials standing outside his door, the source added.
He had also managed to contact his lawyers, who slipped in his anticipatory bail application paper under his door to sign at 2am on Wednesday.
In the meantime, the 50-odd guests on the 18th floor of the hotel were left wondering why four men were waiting outside one of the rooms. However, the four were policemen in mufti and the hotel authorities ensured the rest of the hotel functioned normally.
Manoj Kumar Sharma, DCP (Zone I), said, “We had contacted the hotel authorities for permission to break down the door but they refused. We later got a spare key from them and opened the door to arrest him on Wednesday.”
The Marine Drive police had been on the lookout for Rai since August 1, when the police complaint was filed.
Sinwasan had alleged in his complaint that he had given Rs 98 lakh to Rai last year as a fee for a loan that the latter had promised. He claimed that Rai had even provided a contract for the same.
However, when Rai stopped entertaining his requests for the loan and when Sinwasan discovered that the signature of the accused in the contract was forged, he filed the police complaint.
According to the police, Rai had been putting up at various hotels in the city since the complaint was launched in order to evade arrest.
The police reached Taj Lands End on Tuesday night after receiving information that he had checked into the hotel two days ago.
After his arrest on Wednesday, Rai was taken out of a back exit of the hotel in order to avoid attention from the other guests. He was taken to the Marine Drive police station.
A spokesperson from Taj Lands Hotel confirmed the incident with Mumbai Mirror. “We cannot provide details about our guests but we extended as much help as we could to the police,” the spokesperson added.
The police were at Rai’s hotel room till late on Wednesday, conducting the spot-panchama.
Rai has been booked under Sections 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (Committing forgery, intending that the document or electronic record forged shall be used for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (Using as genuine a forged document) and has been taken into police custody.
