Pune: Three women have been arrested for allegedly taking an elderly man to a lodge, threatening him with false charges of abuse, and demanding five lakh rupees in extortion.

The Vishrambaug police apprehended the three women, who are purportedly members of the Women's Rights Protection Committee. Astonishingly, their fourth accomplice was identified as Police Sub-Inspector Kashinath Maruti Ubhe from the Pune Police Force.

The investigation revealed that the gang had also blackmailed another police inspector in Pune in a similar manner. A 64-year-old resident of Kothrud had lodged a complaint, leading to the arrest of the three women, who have been remanded in police custody for five days.

One of the women also faces a separate case in Kolhapur for demanding fifty lakh rupees from a doctor. The police attempted to arrest Sub-Inspector Ubhe at his residence in Bhugaon, but he managed to escape.

The gang's modus operandi involved a woman named Avantika befriending the elderly victim and inviting him to a lodge. After some conversation, two other women and a man appeared, assaulted the elderly man, and demanded five lakh rupees.

They then forced him into a car and took him to Karve Statue, attempting to sell his gold ring and withdraw money from an ATM. The three women involved in the crime are known to perform small jobs, while their accomplice, Sub-Inspector Ubhe, is stationed at the police headquarters.

Inspector Manoj Barure led the investigation, scrutinizing the lodge's register and CCTV footage, which provided crucial leads. Information from the accused woman's Aadhaar card and the identification of the car used in the crime, registered to a person from Mulshi, pointed to Sub-Inspector Ubhe as a key suspect.