The Malwani police has nabbed a gang of four for allegedly extorting money from local shopkeepers and small businessmen. They were arrested by the police officials on January 9 evening, while accepting '50,000 from a local ration shopkeeper.
According to police sources, these accused used to pose as journalists and NGO volunteers. One of them is a repeat offender.
The police said the accused used to target local shopkeepers, ration shops, small factories and kerosene shops. “They used to keep a close eye on shops and factories who are running their business illegally or violating laws, and after finding such organisations they would approach the owner to threaten him and demand money,” said a police official.
The Malwani police said it had received several written complaints about this gang.
The police said on January 8 night, the gang had demanded money from a ration shop owner. However, the shopkeeper approached the police. According to the plan, January 9 late evening, when these four came to accept the amount from the ration shop owner, the police arrested them.
All the accused are between 22 and 30 years of age and have been identified as Rahmat Khan, Kapheel Ansari, Aslam Sheikh and Rahmat Sheikh. According to officials, Kapheel Ansari has a few cases under Section 324 of IPC registered against him for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons.
The police has also recovered identity cards of a well-known NGO from them, and now it is checking the their authenticity. Ansari also claimed he is a reporter from a Marathi news channel, which the police is cross-checking.
