The Anti-Extortion Cell (Unit 2) apprehended members of the Sharad Mohol gang in connection with an extortion and kidnapping case. Four individuals were arrested for their involvement in this case on Thursday night. They had unlawfully detained two women and subjected them to threats in an attempt to extort money. The gang members kidnapped a 75-year-old woman and another female victim on Wednesday and demanded a total of ₹17 lakh in extortion money.
The accused initially attempted to secure a stall within the railway premises through the assistance of a social worker, but their efforts were unsuccessful. In an attempt to gain control of the stall, they even provided ₹6 lakh to the woman in question. However, she was unable to secure the contract for the railway station stall. Consequently, on Sept 13, near Pune Railway Station, they resorted to kidnapping both women.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Babulal Laxman Mohol (45), Amar Nandkumar Mohite (39), Pradeep Prabhakar Nalwade (38), and Akshay Maruti Phad (24). The Pune Police Crime Branch, along with the Anti-Extortion Cell (Unit 2), apprehended the accused on Thursday night, and a case has been registered at the Uttamnagar Police Station.
Victim worked as a social worker
According to the police, the accused kidnapped both women on Sept 13. Subsequently, the son of one of the victims reported the incident to the police. The police were able to track the location of the accused and successfully rescued both women. The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 364(A), 385, 387, 341, 323, 504, 506, and 34, and the police are investigating the matter.
Police Inspector Pratap Manakar said, "The victim worked as a social worker for an NGO. The accused, particularly Babulal Mohol, had attempted to secure the stall through the woman's connections. A Police Constable Shankar Sampte got the tip-off about the incident and then the arrest of the accused individuals based on technical information."
