The Shivajinagar police has registered an offence of cheating and extortion against arrested alleged fake lawyer Mahendra Kawachale,on Saturday. Police said Ashok Ranglal Agarwal (40) of Khadki has lodged a complaint against Kawachale (30). Agarwal runs a ration shop on M G Road opposite Khadki railway station. His complaint states that the public distribution system officer had conducted an inspection of his shop and sent a show cause notice on October 22,2010 stating that Agarwal was not providing proper food grains to the ration card holders. Agarwal had replied to the notice in writing on November 7,2010. Meanwhile,Agarwal was introduced to Kawachale through his brother in December. Kawachale procured a photocopy of this notice and threatened Agarwal to pay him Rs 4 lakh,failing which he would file a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court against him, the police said. Agarwal had paid Rs 2.50 lakh to Kawachale,out of the Rs 4 lakh that he had demanded. The police have registered an offence under sections 419 (cheating by impersonation) and 384 (extortion) against Kawachale.
