In a case which has raised serious questions about police misconduct in Maharashtra, six persons from Pune Rural Police have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping children from well-off families and threatening them with a fake narcotics case and demanding a price of ₹5 lakh for their release.
The alleged extortion racket came to light after the victims' families used 'smartwatch location tracking' to track the children's locations and alerted senior police officers, ultimately leading to the arrest of the accused personnel.
How the Alleged Racket Worked
According to preliminary investigations, the policemen intercepted a group of youngsters traveling in a vehicle and said drugs had been recovered from them.
The personnel allegedly detained the children under the threat of registering a narcotics case, then approached their families with the demand of ₹5 lakh to get them out of custody.
Investigators suspect the accused targeted children from well-off families because they knew that relatives would pay to avoid legal trouble and public embarrassment.
Smartwatch Tracking Helped Crack the Case
The alleged crime was exposed after the victims’ families became concerned when they were unable to contact the children.
Using the location-tracking feature on the children’s smartwatches, family members monitored their movements in real time and noticed something was wrong. They immediately approached senior police officials who opened an inquiry.
The location data helped to trace the victims and expose the alleged extortion attempt before it could rise any further.
Six Personnel Arrested
After a preliminary investigation, an FIR was registered against six Pune Rural Police personnel. All six have since been arrested.
Investigators are now investigating whether the accused acted on their own or whether the alleged racket involved additional police personnel or other associates.
Police are also looking at whether similar incidents have occurred in the past and if more families were targeted using the same modus operandi.
Wider Investigation Underway
The officials are studying call detail records, vehicle movements, location data and other digital evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events.
The investigation will also determine whether the alleged victims were specifically chosen because of their financial background and whether the accused had engaged in similar acts previously.
The senior police officers have assured that the case will be investigated impartially and that strict departmental and legal action will be taken if the allegations are substantiated.
Spotlight on Police Accountability
The incident comes as police misconduct in Maharashtra is under increasing scrutiny. In the past few months, there have been several cases of extortion and abuse of authority by police officers in Pune, prompting demands for stronger internal oversight.
The latest case has also demonstrated how wearable technology— including smartwatches that track people’s movements and locations in real time— is increasingly aiding families and investigators to find missing persons and identify criminal activity.
The arrested officials will be brought before the court. Additional arrests or other charges could follow in view of the evidence collected during the investigation, authorities said.
