Goregaon police have arrested a 26-year-old man for threatening a prominent chemical businessman with extortion of ₹25 lakh by invoking the name of the Bishnoi gang. The accused, identified as Tejas Shelar, resorted to the crime after falling into a debt of ₹3 lakh due to his online gaming addiction.
The 58-year-old complainant, who resides with his family in Juhu Scheme, Vile Parle, owns a chemical factory in Vasai and an office in Goregaon. On 26 August, while at his Goregaon office, he received a series of phone calls from an unknown number.
Initially, the caller spoke in an incomprehensible language. Later, switching to Hindi, the caller claimed to be associated with the Bishnoi gang. He warned the businessman that his residence, office, and factory were being watched and said he had accepted a contract worth ₹25 lakh and one kilogram of gold to kill him.
The caller then asked the businessman how much money he could pay to “settle the matter,” threatening serious consequences if the demand was not met.
Frightened, the businessman pretended to agree to a meeting and immediately approached Goregaon police, lodging a complaint against the unknown caller.
Police launched a technical analysis of the calls and discovered that the SIM card used was recently activated. Tracking its location to Ambernath, officers detained Tejas Shelar within 18 hours of the FIR being filed.
During interrogation, Shelar confessed that he had made the threats himself, using the Bishnoi gang’s name to intimidate the businessman. Investigations revealed that Shelar worked with a private company in Goregaon and lived in Kansai village, Ambernath. His addiction to online gaming had left him with debts of nearly ₹3 lakh, pushing him to plan the extortion.
Police said Shelar had gathered details of the businessman’s family and business before making the calls. He has been booked under relevant sections of the BNS, and further investigation is underway.