Mumbai: Man thrashes shopkeeper after he denies paying extortion, held

A 41-year-old shopkeeper was assaulted by the arrested accused in Bandra West after the former refused to pay extortion of ₹50 lakh. Infuriated by the refusal, the accused, identified as Sujeet Nishad, first thrashed the shop owner with a helmet, and in retaliation, hit him with a utensil on his head.

Bandra Police said Nishad has been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for an attempt to murder and extortion bid.

According to the police, the complainant, who owns a utensils shop in Bandra, was working with his colleague in the shop, when the accused, Nishad, who was an acquaintance of the complainant, walked in after parking his bike. Nishad allegedly skipped the small talk and demanded a sum of ₹50 lakh from the shopkeeper.

When the complainant refused, Nishad began hurling abuses and hitting the victim with the helmet. A few blows later, the complainant retaliated and pushed Nishad, who fell on his bike.

Infuriated, Nishad then allegedly attacked the complainant with a utensil and hit him on the head, injuring him. Meanwhile, a call was made to the local police, who rushed to the spot and caught hold of Nishad before he could escape.

Subsequently, Nishad was arrested for an attempt to murder and extortion charges, while the complainant was rushed to the civic-run Bhabha Hospital for treatment.