Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) caught two shooters of the Ravi Pujari gang (Representational)
Two shooters of the Ravi Pujari gang were arrested by the Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) from Thane, an official said today.
Nitin Gopal Rai (42) and Dinesh Narayan Rai (51) were apprehended last evening from Patlipada on Ghodbunder Road when they had come to threaten a real estate developer for an extortion amount of Rs 10 crore, he added.
The AEC officials received a tip-off yesterday that the shooters were to come to the office of the builder, said the official.
Accordingly, a vigil was maintained. Around 6 pm, the officials spotted two persons moving in a suspicious manner near the builder's office and apprehended them, he added.
Two pistols and four live cartridges were recovered from the possession of the duo, the official said.
Mr Pujari had ordered the shooters to threaten the builder by opening fire at his office, he added.
The gangster had been demanding an amount of Rs 10 crore from the builder for the last few days.
The builder had lodged a complaint at the Kasar Wadavali police station in this regard. Accordingly, a case was registered against Pujari and his gang members, the official said.
Of the arrested accused, Mr Dinesh Narayan Rai, who was earlier working with the Fazalur Rahman gang, was arrested by the Surat police in an extortion case in 2004, he added.
On Mr Rai's advice, Mr Rahman had called Mr Shivnarayan Agarwal, the Surat-based owner of Parag Sarees, and threatened him to pay the amount due to actress Shilpa Shetty for appearing in the advertisements of Parag Sarees, the official said.
The duo had been booked under the Arms Act, he added.