The members were threatening an eastern suburb businessman for Rs5 crore since September
The Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of Mumbai crime branch on Friday arrested eight members of Suresh Poojari gang for threatening a businessman from eastern suburb and demanding Rs5 crore since September.
After separating from underworld don Ravi Pujari, Suresh has been making desperate attempts to get his hold on the Mumbai underworld.
According to the AEC officials, in the month of September, the businessman — having a finance and broking firm in the city — started receiving threatening calls from an international number. The caller allegedly identified himself as gangster Suresh Poojari and demanded Rs5 crore.
"The complainant got scared and told the caller that he will not be able to arrange such a huge amount. Poojari even asked the complainant to go on Youtube and watch a the murder video of a cable operator in Ulhasnagar and his interview aired on the channels," said joint commissioner of police (crime) Atulchandra Kulkarni.
He added: "Poojari further sent an SMS to the complainant threatening that if he did not pay the money he and his family will be shot dead". A case was registered with the RCF police station and the investigation was handed over to the AEC.
The AEC officials after taking over the case, arrested eight accused identified as Prakash Ramsingh Bichal (42), Mubassir Sayyed (39), Gautam Mehta (33), Chottelal Jaiswal (42), Krishna Khandagle (39), Santosh Gaikwad (38), Naresh Shetty (45) and Ravi Gaikwad (39). The accused were arrested from Ambernath, Bhiwandi, Surat, Ghatkopar, Titwala, Kalyan, and two of them were arrested from Pune respectively.
According to the police, Bichal has two firing cases registered against him and was earlier arrested for theft by the Rabale police. Sayyed has a case of kidnapping registered against him and was entrusted with the job of recruiting other shooters by Poojari. Mehta on other hand was incharge of receiveing money from Poojari through hawala to be further given to the shooters for the job. Mehta had also provided money to the shooters involved in the Ulhasnagar firing case. Jaiswal, a mechanic by profession, was constantly in touch with Poojari and had accompanied Khandagle and Gaikwad to the address of the complainant and had identified the target for them.
Shetty and Gaikwad provided the financial support to the gang at Poojari's behest.
"All the accused worked closely with Poojari and the gangster from abroad would co-ordinate with the gang. The accused would pass on the information about the potential targets after which Poojari would make the extortion call. The arrested accused would also carry out firing to threaten the targets," said Jt CP (Crime) Kulkarni.
Senior Police Inspector (AEC) Vinayak Vast said that the police had been successful in busting an important module. "They were planning to make more extortion and firing attempts in Mumbai and Thane," he said.
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