Five hoodlums held at Dadar for extortion

November 15: Five hoodlums, who claimed to be Arun Gawli associates, were arrested in connection for extorting money from a businessman at Dadar on Sunday evening.

According to the police, the hoodlums had been collecting Rs 500 every month from the owner of an STD booth, laundry located in Dadar West as protection money since 1997. The businessman was led to believe that they members of the Arun Gawli gang, the police.

On November 2 the five men approached him and hiked the protection money to Rs 50,000. They threatened to kill him and his son if he failed to cough up the protection money. They also damaged the STD booth before escaping from the spot.

They have been identified as Sunil Diple 25, Nitin Diple 28, Yogesh Kalkopar 19, Sachin Randir and Jaganath Lad 19. Four choppers have been recovered from the gang.