Parking mafia terrorises Powai: Vehicles torched, residents attacked

The Filter Pada area in Powai has become a nightmare for residents as a gang is actively terrorising the locality by running an illegal parking racket Residents are being forced to pay parking charges outside their own homes and those who refuse face severe consequences including vandalism and arson In the past two months alone an Audi car was vandalised and a tempo was completely set on fire by the gang after the owners refused to pay extortion moneyTempo set on firePrakash Ayarersquos wife Asha was attacked by the goons leaving her with a fractured legOn the morning of March 2 a newly purchased tempo was set on fire in Filter Pada The vehicle belonged to Prakash Ayare 38 who had bought it just two months ago for his transportation business The accused gang had demanded parking fees from Ayare but when he refused they torched his tempo and attacked his familyVictimrsquos accountSpeaking with midday Ayare said ldquoI bought this tempo for my business just two months ago I parked it daily near the Mithi River where there is ample space Recently some people started demanding parking fees I refused to pay since these roads are not under BMCrsquos authority They threatened to burn my vehicle and harm my family if I didnrsquot complyrdquoA female doctorrsquos Audi was vandalised in Filter Pada after she refused to pay extortion money for unauthorised parkingldquoOn the night of March 1 I parked my tempo outside my house The next morning on March 2 around 5 am locals informed me that my vehicle was on fire When I rushed to the spot I saw the same people who had threatened me They attacked me and even hit my wife Asha fracturing her leg I took her to the hospital and reported the incident to the policerdquoThe fire brigade arrived and managed to extinguish the blaze but the tempo suffered extensive damage including the complete destruction of its wiring battery tyres cabin interior seats windows doors chassis and other partsFollowing the incident the Powai police registered an FIR against Sharukh Khan Firoz Reyhan and Shahin for allegedly running an unauthorised parking racket in Filter Pada They were arrested for setting Ayarersquos tempo on fireDoctorrsquos Audi vandalisedOn January 27 a female doctorrsquos Audi was vandalised in the Filter Pada area after she refused to pay extortion money for unauthorised parking The doctor who works at the Asian Heart Institute in BKC had parked her Audi outside her society when two men approached her and demanded Rs 5000 for monthly parking They threatened her saying ldquoYou donrsquot know who we are This place is under our control If you want to park here you must pay Rs 5000 every monthrdquoFive months ago a WagonR belonging to Manoj Dixit a labour contractor from Filter Pada was set on fireWhen she refused her car was vandalised the same night around 1030 pm The accused smashed her windshield with a large stone She immediately reported the incident to the police who registered an FIR and arrested both accused identified as Shiroz Khan and Salman SahaWagonR set on fireFive months ago a WagonR belonging to Manoj Dixit a labour contractor residing in Filter Pada was also set on fire by local miscreants Speaking with midday Dixit said ldquoSome people in the area demanded parking fees from me but I refused They threatened me and a few days later they broke my car window and set fire to my car seat causing interior damage worth R12 lakh I reported it to the police but didnrsquot file a complaint out of fearrdquoAuto rickshaw burntNine months ago an auto rickshaw was set on fire by unknown individuals in the area The victimrsquos family speaking to midday said ldquoWe parked our auto on a BMC road Someone demanded extortion money but we refused The next day our auto was set on fire We reported it to the police but no one was caught Our auto was completely destroyedrdquo