Thane | A man from Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township has been arrested after he allegedly posed as a CBI officer and cheated two persons of Rs 80 lakh under the pretext of helping them obtain land in Kolhapur, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, from Koparkhairne in Navi Mumbai, had worked as a driver with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a contractual basis.

After his contract ended, he posed as an officer of the agency and cheated the two persons, CBD police station's senior inspector Giridhar Gore said.

The accused met the victims, hailing from Kolhapur, at a government office in Navi Mumbai in April 2022 and claimed he could help them get 500 acres of forest land at Hazra in the district, he said.

To gain their confidence, he showed them a no objection certificate (NOC) of the forest department and also fabricated an order of a court in connection with the land, the official said.

The accused took around Rs 80 lakh from the two victims. He neither got them the land as promised nor refunded their money despite repeated reminders, he said.

The victims subsequently approached the police and filed a complaint.

The accused was arrested on Monday and booked under relevant provisions, the police added.