Four held for ‘extorting’ from trader in Mumbai

An officer from VP Road police station said, “After the application was submitted to the police. We conducted a preliminary interrogation and checked with local people, following which we were informed that they have been extorting money from local shopkeepers under the name of welfare for the Sangathana.”

The Chhava Seva Sangathana is a group that supports cow protection. (Representational Image)

Mumbai police has arrested four men who allegedly claimed that they were from Chhava Seva Sangathana and extorted money from a 53-year-old shopkeeper in south Mumbai. Complainant Jayanti Jethalal Vaidhya, the shop owner near Girgaon, submitted a complaint to V P Road police following which a case was registered and the four were arrested.

The Chhava Seva Sangathana is a group that supports cow protection. They have been identified as Anil Surve, Balkrishna Mehta, Sushil Nikum and Surendra Nigudkar, who are residents of Kumbharwada in Girgaon. The police said Surve, Nigudkar and Nikum were employed as clerks in different private firms and Mehta was a truck driver.

Vaidhya in his statement to police said: “On February 2, I got a call from Surve who threatened me and called me near Kumbharwada junction. When I asked the reason for calling, they claimed that they were from Chhava Seva Sangathana and disconnected the call.”

The police said that after Vaidhya reached the spot, the four allegedly started demanding money under the name of welfare for the Sangathana. Vaidhya said: “After I went to the spot, Nigudkar slapped me, while the other three started threatening me. They demanded money under the name of the Sangathana, they are working for.”

An officer from VP Road police station said, “After the application was submitted to the police. We conducted a preliminary interrogation and checked with local people, following which we were informed that they have been extorting money from local shopkeepers under the name of welfare for the Sangathana.” The police said they were also checking whether they were, in fact, attached to the Chhava Seva Sangathana.

Senior police inspector Sanjay Kamble from VP Road police station confirmed the arrest. The four accused have been booked under Sections 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian penal Code. The four were produced in court and has been remanded in judicial custody.

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extortion