Mumbai:
A senior citizen who allegedly tried to collect extortion money from a doctor at the behest of a person claiming to be an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim has been arrested, police said on Wednesday.
Acting on a complaint of the doctor, 63-year-old Merchant Abdul Hamid Suleman was nabbed near Saifi Hospital at Charni Road last night when he arrived to collect Rs 5.3 lakh extortion money, a Crime Branch official said.
He was allegedly acting at the behest of a person who had called the doctor on May 31 and introduced himself as Shetty and an aide of fugitive don Dawood and asked him to "pay up or face bullets", the official said.
"The caller asked the victim to shell out Rs 2 crore otherwise he would be shot dead. The victim bargained with him and agreed to give Rs 30 lakh," the official said.
"Yesterday, the doctor again received a call from Shetty, asking him to pay the cash to his aide Merchant. However, the victim said he could arrange only Rs 5.30 lakh.
"The doctor later lodged a complaint with the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Crime Branch following which a trap was laid and Merchant was arrested," the official said.
Police are trying to establish the identity of Shetty and if he is really a member of the Dawood gang.