26 September,2016 12:20 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
A businessman from Andheri has come under the scanner of Mumbai crime branch for allegedly taking the help of the underworld to settle scores with his former business partner
A businessman from Andheri has come under the scanner of Mumbai crime branch for allegedly taking the help of the underworld to settle scores with his former business partner.
According to a report in timesofindia, officials of the anti-extortion cell of the police came to know of the business rivalry angle as they were investigating a phone call that was made to the underworld. Cops have launched a manhunt for an absconding businessman from Sakinaka, who has been identified as Tripathi. The latter allegedly passed on passing on information about his former business partner to gangster Suresh Poojari.
An aide of Poojari was arrested on Friday for allegedly threatening a businessman named Rajubhai. Timesofindia reported that Rajubhai had received a call from an international number in July. The caller asked him to pay Rs 50 lakh. When the extortion calls continued, the businessman approached joint commissioner of police (crime) Sanjay Saxena, and filed a complaint.
Some days back, Rajubhai again received a threat call, this time from a person who claimed to be a member of the Poojari's gang. He threatened Rajubhai with dire consequences in the event of him failing to pay up.
A police source told timesofindia that a man named Ashraf Ali was arrested after technical evidence was gathered against him. Further, two mobiles and Sim cards used to make the extortion calls were also seized from him. Ashraf has been sent to police custody till September 27.
Further investigations led to the conclusion that Ashraf had been in touch with Poojari. "We also found out that Poojari was targeting Rajubhai on behalf of his former business partner Tripathi over a financial dispute that had cropped up between the two of them. This later ended up on a very bitter note, spoiling their business relationship," a police officer told timesofindia.
It has been learnt that Tripathi took the help of the underworld since he wanted to get even with Rajubhai, and thus allegedly passed on inside information about his former business partner to Poojari.
