Ex-employee, aide held for ‘threat to kill’ businessman

Surve purportedly said in his confession to the police that on the day of the incident, he went to a wedding with his friend. There, they got drunk and decided to go and threaten Mistri at his Matunga residence for abruptly sacking him.

THE MUMBAI Police have arrested two persons for allegedly threatening to kill businessman Jimmy Mistri.
Mistri is the owner of Della Group, which has interests in real estate and the hospitality sector.
The police arrested the two accused last week, who were identified as Rajan Surve and Mohommad M H. Surve had earlier worked with Mistri.

At around 1 am on November 25, the two accused arrived at Della Tower in Parsi Colony at Dadar. Being under the influence of alcohol, they allegedly threatened building’s watchman and said that they would kill Mistri.
The complainant, Raj Vitthal Borude who works as a watchman at Della Tower, said, “We were guarding the gate when suddenly two men got off from a Scorpio car and started abusing. They wanted to enter the building, but as my supervisor was also present, we stopped them. The two started abusing Mistri and threatened to kill him as well as the both of us.”

The guards then informed Mistri’s office and reported the incident at the Matunga police station, following which a case was registered against the two accused.

Crime Branch Unit 4 investigated the case and got a breakthrough when they found Surve’s images from CCTV footage.

“We got Surve’s address, following which we laid a trap at his Mira-Bhayander residence and nabbed him,” an officer said.

Surve was later handed over to Matunga police station. During the course of Surve’s interrogation, his accomplice was identified and nabbed from Wadala.

Surve purportedly said in his confession to the police that on the day of the incident, he went to a wedding with his friend. There, they got drunk and decided to go and threaten Mistri at his Matunga residence for abruptly sacking him.

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“Surve claims that he was working with Mistri for the last 20 years. He said that Mistri was struggling at the time, but he still chose to hang in with him. 20 years later, after Mistri achieved success, he just fired him. Surve was complaining about it at the marriage ceremony, so his friend suggested that they go and threaten Mistri,” an officer from Matunga police station said.

The accused has been booked under sections 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. The two accused were produced in court and have been remanded to judicial custody.
When contacted, Jimmy Mistri said, “It is a very unfortunate incident. Being threatened is a part and parcel of a businessman’s life, but when it turns out to be your ex-employee, it’s very hurtful.”

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