All nine accused allegedly stormed company’s Goregaon premises with swords, knives; cops looking into whether they have links to gangsters, builder lobby
Alleged extortionist Baba Khan; (right) the BMW he would ride around in while allegedly collecting bribes
The Bangur Nagar police in Goregaon West have arrested an alleged serial extortionist, Baba Khan, and eight of his henchmen for allegedly forcibly trespassing and attempting to usurp land owned by a firm known as Laxmi Asbestos Products Ltd. According to police sources, the accused and his gang stormed the premises of the firm in Goregaon West on May 9. Khan and his associates allegedly threatened security guards with swords and knives, claiming ownership of the land and demanding that it be vacated immediately.
The 46-year-old complainant, the constituted attorney of the company, in the statement to the police, said the accused assaulted the guards when they resisted. The company manager, when he intervened, was also reportedly beaten up with rods and attacked with a sword. All the accused escaped from the spot after issuing a chilling ultimatum to everyone to vacate the plot within 24 hours.
Swift police action
The matter was reported to the police based on the complaint, a case has been registered under Section 25(3) of the Arms Act (possession of illegal arms) and various sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 115(2), 190, 191 and 333, which deal with voluntarily causing hurt, unlawful assembly, rioting and trespassing, respectively.
“All nine accused were arrested on Wednesday and produced before the court on Thursday, where they were remanded in police custody until May 19,” said an officer from the Bangur Nagar police station.
“We are now investigating who contracted them to forcibly occupy the land, and whether they have links to the land mafia or builder lobby,” the officer added.
The property
According to the police, the land owned by Laxmi Asbestos Products Ltd measures around five and a half acres in area and is worth more than R500 crore. The company bought the plot in 1970.
“The accused broke a boundary wall and tried to take possession of the land. Based on the firm’s complaint, we have registered a case and arrested nine accused, none of whom had valid documents,” said Senior Inspector Anil Thakre of Bangur Nagar police station.
BMW Baba
Baba Khan, a café owner who allegedly ran various illegal businesses, was arrested last year by the Malwani police on kidnapping and extortion charges. According to police sources, he would arrive in a BMW near Atharva College at Charkop Naka in Malad to collect weekly bribes from hawkers and pavement vendors near his establishment.
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