In fresh trouble for the wheelchair-bound former gangster Ashwin Naik, the Mumbai police on Tuesday invoked Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act on him and eight others in an extortion case and the MCOCA court remanded him to police custody till January 2.
When the police produced the accused before the special MCOCA judge Shrikant Anekar in the high security Arthur Road Jail, special public prosecutor Dileep Shah sought his police custody on the ground that the crime is serious in nature and the investigation is at a crucial stage. He also said the police needs to investigate the role of each accused and unravel the entire conspiracy behind the extortion.
Advocate Shah also informed the court that investigation has revealed that the accused had similarly extorted Rs 25 lakh from the builder’s business partner a few days ago.
Considering these arguments, the judge remanded Naik to police custody. The prosecution’s case is that on December 9, the former gangster’s aides approached a Dadar-based builder, who is constructing a building in a central suburb. They kidnapped him at gunpoint and took him to Naik’s office in Subhash Nagar on NM Joshi Marg.
They threatened him and demanded Rs 50 lakh as well as a 6,000 sq ft flat in the building. The developer sought some time to think about it and on Sunday registered an FIR at the Dadar police station.
On December 20, the police laid a trap to nab Naik, who arrived on Shankar Road with his accomplices in two cars to collect the money. Naik, who is paralysed waist down, was sitting in one of the cars. When he accepted the bag containing Rs 50 lakh, the police swooped down on the gang and arrested them.
Along with the former gangster, the police arrested four of his accomplices Pramod Keluskar, Janardan Sakpal, Prathamesh Parab and Rajesh Tambe on the spot. There was no chase involved, Zone V DCP Mahesh Patil said. So far nine accused, including Naik, have been arrested in this matter.
