Additional SP wanted for extortion,kidnapping nabbed

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy said Lohar was arrested from Thane on Sunday night. “Lohar was suspended and the state CID was on the lookout for him. We had received information that he was in Thane. Accordingly,a team of officers from the Property Cell laid a trap and nabbed Lohar. He was picked up at 10.30 pm on Sunday and handed over to the state CID at 5.30 am on Monday,” said Roy.

Roy said Lohar had managed to remain undetected by not using a mobile phone and ensuring that he did not stay at the same place for more than two nights.

Crime Branch sources said Lohar was booked in an extortion and kidnapping case along with another person in 2009 for allegedly threatening the principal of an Ayurveda college.

“The college had hired a firm from Gujarat to help them redevelop their premises and construct the staff quarters. They had not allegedly paid the money to the person who built the premises. Lohar had called the principal to his office and confined him there. He told him to pay Rs 21 lakh as extortion money or he would get hurt,” said an officer,who did not wish to be named.

The officer said a case was registered against Lohar and Dheeraj Yewale,his alleged accomplice,at the Chalisgaon police station under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement),364 A (kidnapping for ransom),385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC.

Sources revealed that Lohar had approached courts for bail,but his bail plea was rejected every time. “After the case was registered,Lohar and Yewale escaped from the area. The probe was handed over to the state CID and teams were formed to nab the two. We had arrested Yewale on March 12 and handed him over to the CID,” the officer said.