Illegal moneylending gang: Builder paid ₹36.5 lakh after ₹5 lakh loan; farmland grabbed

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

An illegal moneylending gang allegedly trapped a builder by lending Rs 5 lakh at 10% monthly interest, later extorting Rs 16 lakh as interest within five months and demanding another Rs 16.5 lakh, besides grabbing 2.5 acres of farmland.

The accused also allegedly kidnapped the builder three times, confined him in a closed company at Chikalthana, assaulted him and demanded Rs 25 lakh to return the land. The accused are Lakhan Sable (33), Vicky Shinde (33) of Brijwadi, Prashant Dhakne (32, Vitthalnagar), and Venkatesh Dhage (28, Bharatnagar). A case has been registered against the five-member gang at the Pundliknagar police station. Complainant builder Vishwajit Deshmukh (29) of N-4 said he met Lakhan Sable in 2024 during construction work at his brother’s house. In April 2024, Sable lent him Rs 5 lakh, taking four blank cheques and signed bond papers. Within five months, Rs 16 lakh interest was recovered, after which the gang allegedly began further blackmail for Rs 16.5 lakh.

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Confined in a company at Chikalthana

On December 5, 2024, the accused allegedly forced Deshmukh into a car and took him to Kannad, pressuring him to transfer his Karanjkhed farmland in Dhage’s name. After he refused, he was confined in a Chikalthana company and threatened at knife-point.

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Harassment continued even after cheques

Under pressure, Deshmukh transferred the land. Later, his father paid Rs 16 lakh through two cheques, deposited in the account of Pravin Mokale, after Sable promised to cancel the deal in writing. However, the accused again demanded Rs 25 lakh, claiming Dhage had absconded. Vicky Shinde also threatened Deshmukh’s father and extorted Rs 4.5 lakh, besides threatening to file an atrocity case and kidnap the builder’s son.

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Builder approaches police

Fed up with the harassment, Deshmukh approached police. Pundliknagar police arrested Lakhan Sable and Vicky Shinde on Wednesday night, under the supervision of police inspector Ashok Bhandare and assistant police inspector Shivprasad Karhale.