Mumbai Crime: Businessman Lured, Assaulted, and Extorted 3.25 Crores in Vile Parle by Interstate Gang

A shocking case of fraud and extortion has come to light in the Vile Parle area, where a nine-member gang allegedly duped an Andheri-based businessman of around ₹3.25 crore by luring him with promises of high investment returns and later threatening him for ransom. A case has been registered against all nine accused under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the investigation has now been transferred to the Crime Branch.

The accused have been identified as Laxminarayan Agrawal, Devkumar Rai, Sushilkumar Yadav, Chetan Sanghvi, Ramshishkumar Gupta alias Kumar Sir, Umeshkumar Suman alias Subodh Ranjan, Sakshi Kumari alias Varsha, Swati, and Goyal. They are residents of Mumbai as well as Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand.

According to police, the complainant, Ayush Nakra (41), resides on Andheri-Kurla Road with his family and runs a private business. In July 2025, he came in contact with four of the accused—Laxminarayan, Devkumar, Sushil, and Chetan—who introduced themselves as brokers. The group allegedly conspired to convince him to invest in a company named “Arkship Group,” promising lucrative returns.

Falling prey to their claims, Nakra invested ₹1 crore, which he transferred online on August 22, 2025, to the company’s bank account. However, he later discovered that the amount had been diverted to the account of an NGO named “Manav Dharmayog.”

When Nakra questioned the accused, he was called for a meeting at Hotel Sahara Star near the Western Express Highway in Vile Parle, along with his company’s General Manager, Pankaj Rawat. At the hotel, Umeshkumar and around 15 accomplices allegedly assaulted both Nakra and Rawat and threatened them at gunpoint.

The gang then allegedly demanded ₹3 crore as ransom, threatening to kill Nakra if he failed to pay. Fearing for his life, he transferred approximately ₹2.25 crore online to accounts provided by the accused. After receiving the money, the accused released him but warned him of dire consequences if he approached the police.

The following day, Nakra found that the transferred amount had been routed to another NGO, “Nai Jeevan Jyoti Foundation.” Traumatized and under severe mental stress, he initially remained silent due to fear. However, upon the insistence of his family and friends, he later approached the Airport Police and filed a complaint.

After verifying the complaint, police registered an FIR against all nine accused for cheating, criminal breach of trust, extortion, causing grievous hurt, and issuing death threats, among other charges.

The case has now been handed over to the Crime Branch for further investigation. Preliminary findings suggest that the accused are part of a larger interstate network. Police have launched a special operation to trace and arrest them and are also probing whether the gang has similarly targeted other businessmen under the guise of investment schemes.