Mumbai Notes

Extortionists posing as Gawli men heldThe police have arrested four gangsters for extorting money from businessmen in central Mumbai by i...

Extortionists posing as Gawli men held

The police have arrested four gangsters for extorting money from businessmen in central Mumbai by impersonating as criminal Arun Gawli8217;s hitmen.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Sunil Paraskar zone III, though none of the four men arrested was associated with Gawli or members of his gang, they terrorised businessmen claiming to be DK Dilip Kulkarni or Bandya Adivedekar, notorious Gawli hitmen. They have been identified as Zamir Sheikh, Salim Mistry, Amar Sheikh and Ramesh Bhagat. 8220;I have neither been to Dagdi Chawl nor do I know any member of the Gawli gang. I got the names DK and Bandya after reading newspapers,8221; admitted Ramesh Bhagat, one of the accused. They told Express Newsline that they did not even know what DK stood for.

The four gangsters had threatened to kill a garage owner unless he coughed up one lakh, the fourth installment in three months. Senior inspector Vijaykumar Kadam said a telephonic conversation made from ACEcard 9820116180 was recorded. Analysising the recordings and matching them with the police voice bank revealed that the callers were neither DK nor Bandya, and were not associated with Dagdi Chawl.

The police then laid a trap at Worli on Thursday and nabbed the gangsters as they were about to extort the sum from the garage-owner. They confessed that they had been threatening 21 businessmen simultaneously for extortion. They had made as many as 67 phone calls to the businessmen in the last 15 days with the aid of SIM cards, purchased at the cost of Rs 30,000, said Paraskar. Zamir, reportedly the mastermind, is a NSA detenue and has been named in 25 cases, including murders. Incidentally, Bhagat is the nephew of matka king Kalyanji Bhagat.

Meeting on riots report

The Citizens Committee for Action on Srikrishna Commission Report will hold a meeting at St Pius College Hall, Aarey Road, Goregaon E on October 4 at 10 am demanding that those indicted by the report be punished. It will beaddressed by Mrinal Gore, Sagar Sarhadi and Vijay Tendulkar, among others.

Children8217;s book exhibition

An exhibition of South African children8217;s books will be held at British Council Library between October 6 and 10. It has been organised by a team from the University of South Africa. For details, call on 3893725.

Counselling on kidney ailments

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A free counselling service for kidney patients and their families has been started by the National Kidney Foundation India at its office at Marine Drive. A nephrologist will also be available there every Saturday between 1 and 3 pm. Appointments can be fixed on 2817914/4892.

Free camp on polio diagnosis

A free polio diagnosis and corrective surgery camp will be organised by the Lions Club at Agarwal hospital on Satavali road at Vasai on October 3 and 4. Those interested may register on 8683318/8192733/8141797.

Camp on hypertension

A camp for free check up for diabetes and hypertension will be held at Lilavati Hospital onOctober 4 at 8.30 am. The camp, organised by the Lions Club of Khar, is being held for teachers and staff of municipal schools.

Free kidney check-up camp

A free camp on kidney-related diseases will be held at Guru Harkishan High School, Santacruz W, on October 4. The camp is being aimed at promoting non-surgical and minimally invasive medical procedures for treatment of these diseases.

Media training courses

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The IMFAA, a media training institute, will conduct part-time, weekend and regular courses in advertising, journalism and public relations from October 8 at Vile Parle and Colaba. For details, contact S S Motwani on 2853081/2830133.

Acupressure, ayurvedic camp

A free ayurvedic and acupressure camp is being organised by Arcade Traders Club and Ayurved Bhavan between October 2 and 4. The camp will be held at Dimple Arcade, Asha Nagar, Western Express Highway, Kandivli E between 9 am and 1 pm. For registration, call on 8879878.

Adventure camps for holidays

Week-long adventure camps during the Diwali and Christmas vacations are being organised by Adventure Kids Camp for boys and girls between ages 8 and 20 on the banks of the river Damman Ganga. For details, call Bhavin Desai on 8734402.

Kirit Somaiya organises dandiya

The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party unit of Mumbai, Kirit Somaiya, has organised a dandiya raas for the blind, handicapped and citizens over 65 years of age at Kalidas Complex, Mulund, between 6.30 pm and 11 pm on October 3.

Cong activists distribute salt

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Over 200 activists of Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress I held a rally and distributed free salt to people commemorating 129th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Friday.

Vijay Reddy, president, Mumbai north-west district Youth Congress committee, said, 8220;Mahatma protested so that salt tax be abolished.8221;

Save the tiger8217; meeting

A Friends of the Tiger8217; meeting will be held at the Indian Book House8217;s toy exhibition at Fleet Building,Marol Naka, Andheri E on Monday. Children will be given postcards to be addressed to the President of India imploring him to save the endangered animal.