In a well-coordinated operation, the Kopri police arrested two men who had been extorting ₹50,000 from a prominent local businessman. One of the accused, Vishal alias Balasaheb Sahebrao Bhosale, had been demanding the money over several calls, threatening to harm the businessman if the amount wasn’t paid. Bhosale even warned that if the sum wasn’t given, he would send gang members to cause havoc at the businessman’s store.
The extortion had been ongoing since 2019, with Bhosale using various pretenses to collect money from the victim. On September 6, 2024, he repeatedly called the businessman on his mobile phone, demanding 50,000 rupees as extortion money He threatened, "If you don't give me 50,000 rupees, I'll buy sweets from your shop, feed 500-1000 people, and kill them. All the gangs in Thane operate under my trust. If you give 50,000 rupees, your life is not in danger, but if you don't, your life is at risk."
This prompted the businessman to approach Senior Police Inspector Ranjit Dere at the Kopri Police Station. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Senior Police Inspector Ranjit Dere, under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 5, Wagle Estate, Thane Amarsingh Jadhav, and Assistant Commissioner of Police, Wagle Division, Hemant Shinde, formed a team.
They set up a trap in the Kopri area and arrested:
- Kaduba Mahadu Telure, age 60, residing at Room No. 209, Ramabai Ambedkar Society, Kalwa West, Thane, who accepted the 50,000 rupees extortion money.
- Vishal alias Balasaheb Sahebrao Bhosale, age 40, a social worker, residing at Kshipra Building, Room No. 1, Government Residence Barabangla, Kopri Colony, Thane East, who demanded the extortion money.
The police recovered 1,80,030 rupees from them. Further investigation is being conducted by Police Sub-Inspector Ravindrakumar Pansare of the crime detection team.
Senior Police Inspector Ranjit Dere has appealed to any businessmen in the Kopri area who may have been asked for extortion money by these two accused to contact the Kopri police.