Bandra Police have arrested four transgender persons for allegedly barging into a bhoomi pujan ceremony of a construction project in Bandra West and demanding an extortion amount of ₹5.5 lakh. The incident took place on Saturday evening in the Hill Road area of Bandra West.
The accused have been identified as Sugandhi Pille, Nagaraj Pille, Priya Ponnuswami and Vimala, all residents of Sion Koliwada. A case of extortion has been registered against them and all four have been taken into custody.
According to police officials, the complainant, Akash Dinesh Patil (32), works as a security manager. On February 21 at around 12:40 pm, a bhoomi pujan ceremony was organised for a building project of GVK company at Hill Road, Bandra West. During the event, two transgender persons allegedly entered the venue without permission and began creating a disturbance.
The duo allegedly abused the organisers and demanded ₹5.5 lakh. As per the complaint, they threatened that if the money was not paid by 3 pm, the organisers would face serious consequences. They also allegedly behaved indecently and disrupted the programme.
Later the same evening, at around 6:40 pm, two more persons arrived at the venue and allegedly pressured the organisers to pay the demanded amount on behalf of the earlier duo. Police personnel present at the venue immediately intervened and detained the two. Upon checking their mobile phones, it was revealed that they were in contact with the earlier suspects.
Following the investigation, police registered an offence under Sections 308(3), 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951.
Further investigation in the case is being carried out by Sub-Inspector Vanita Pise. Additional police security has been deployed at the event site as a precautionary measure.