The anti-extortion cell of the Thane crime branch is probing the case: Police
A hotelier in Thane has lodged a police complaint alleging that he received extortion threats from fugitive gangster Suresh Pujari, the police said on Friday.
The complainant stays in Balkum and runs a bar-and-restaurant at Wagle Estate in Maharashtra's Thane city, an official said.
The complainant received several calls from the gangster between January 30 and February 3, which he did not attend, it was stated in the complaint.
He then allegedly sent him a threatening text message demanding Rs 50 lakh, senior inspector Rajkumar Kothmire said.
When the complainant ignored his message, the fugitive gangster had contacted the manager of the hotel owned by the complainant, he added.
According to the police, Suresh Pujari procures contact details of his targets from local sources and sends his henchmen to collect extortion money.
An case under section 384 (extortion) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered the case in Shri Nagar police station, city police Public Relation Officer Sukhada Narkar said.
The anti-extortion cell of the Thane crime branch is probing the case, she added.