E-Paper
Man arrested for attempt to extort ₹1 crore from Pune jeweller
Police said the accused had made threat calls to the complainant from a mobile phone he had stolen from a Warkari
PUNE The Pune rural police on Saturday arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly trying to extort ₹1 crore from a jeweller based in Shirur.
The accused has been identified as Rahul Sukhdeo Gaikwad, a resident of Kohkadi village in Parner tehsil of the Ahmednagar district, who allegedly made a call to a jeweller Vaibhav Khabiya on July 4.
Police said the accused had made threat calls to the complainant from a mobile phone he had stolen from a Warkari who was on his way to Pandharpur to attend the Ashadi Wari pilgrimage.
As per the complainant, he had received a call from an unknown number on July 4. The unknown caller pretended that he was calling from a well-known company and demanded ₹1 crore. He also threatened him to kill if he failed to pay him the said amount.
The complainant jeweller approached the Shirur police station and registered a complaint against the unknown caller.
After the initial investigation, it was revealed that the mobile used was stolen from a warkari at Shrigonda in Ahmednagar district. However, the accused used a different SIM card to make a call.
On Saturday, police officials laid down a trap in the Lohegaon, where according to a tip-off from informants, Gaikwad was currently staying and arrested him.
As per the police, records accused Gaikwad has almost nine cases registered against him in Pune, Ahmednagar, Parner, Supa and Shrigonda police stations for cheating, murder, attempt to murder and physical assault.
