Mumbai hotelier threatened with murder and wife's rape by underworld

The dark underbelly of Mumbais real estate has been exposed again Hinting at the underworld funnelling money into the sector through politicians a 30yearold hotelier and legal adviser from Kandivli Rakesh Shetty has alleged that Harish Mandvikar notorious gangster and matka king Suresh Bhagats killer his aide Deepak Pandey ward8 Congress corporator Shiva Shetty builder Santosh Sawant have threatened him and his family with dire consequences if he refuses to settle a dispute over a prime plot in Borivli for Rs 50 lakhRakesh ShettyThe current market value of the 3845sqft land is over Rs 10 crore Rakesh also alleged that serial murder accused Vijay Palande who is behind bars also sent him a cryptic warning on toeing the lineThe meetingIn his statement to the police and the FIR filed on Wednesday midday has copies of both Rakesh said he and his family were enjoying a movie at a mall in Malad last Sunday when he received a call from an unknown number The caller mdash Mandvikar 39 who is out on parole for a family members marriage while serving a double life term for Bhagats murder in Goa in 2010 mdash was no stranger Rakesh the gangster his aide Sunny and Sawant had met once earlier hoping to arrive at an outofcourt settlement over the land dispute see box Mandvikar told Rakesh to meet him and Sunny the next dayAs planned I met Sunny at a burger joint and proceeded for the meeting around 6 pm in Porsa Pada in Kandivli After waiting there for 15 minutes we were joined by Deepak Pandey Rakesh told the policeThreats and assaultHe alleged that the men tried to browbeat him into accepting a paltry R50 lakh to settle the dispute and threatened to harm and rape his wife if he refused The men allegedly turned more and more sinister by the minute I was asked Tune ab tak kya faisla kiya hai Ya hum faisla karen Have you taken a decision yet or should we decidehellip I bought time saying I had to consult my partner before making any commitment said RakeshThe note purportedly from serial murder accused Vijay PalandeThe hotelier also alleged that Pandey hit his nose with a kada wielded a hammer before him and reiterated the threat of rape and murder if he did not withdraw an earlier case of extortion against him and settle the land matter Rakesh was then let offLater that night Mandvikar visited Rakesh at his office and pretended to sympathise with him for Pandeys brutality However he also warned him against going to the police When I refused I was taken on his bike to a desolate spot near Linkway Hotel After a brief conversation he left and I approached the Kandivli police station to give a statement said RakeshWarning from behind barsIt was at the police station the next day when he went to file an additional statement that the extent of the ominous nexus dawned on Rakesh While waiting to talk to the police a man thrust the mulaakaat sheet the list of names of all visitors to the police lockup for the day into his hand The man was apprehended and questioned by the police who said he was a smalltime intermediary On the list was scrawled a warning message allegedly from hardcore criminal Vijay Palande Rakesh Hi He is my younger brother mdash Always remember It was signed Vijay PalandeWhat shook Rakesh was that Palande is currently lodged at the Thane Central Jail for the murders of aspiring producer Karan Kakkar in 2012 and three others Rakesh believes that Palande was referring to Mandvikar in his noteThe Kandivli police filed an FIR on Wednesday against Mandvikar Pandey Shiva Shetty and Sawant under Sections 195 A threatening any person to give false evidence 323 voluntarily causing hurt 506 2 criminal intimidation and 34 acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention of the IPC Sudhir Dalvi inspector of the Kandivli police station told midday yesterday that he had just taken charge of the case and is investigating the complaintThe other sideIn an alleged conversation that corporator Shiva Shetty had with Rakesh on Thursday he said he has a 20 stake in the property He however told midday that he had not done or said anything wrong Levelling counterallegations he said the hotelier is a cheat and has cases filed against him in Borivli Nagpada and MIG police stations He tried to sully the name of one of my partymen Abhijit Kale All I told him not to frame an innocent manHe denied having a 20 stake in the property and said the conversation he had pertained to a different case in which he had given a cheque of Rs 11 lakh to Rakesh seven years ago but was duped by him Congress spokesperson Aslam Sheikh said he was out of town and had not been able to get in touch with Shiva Builder Santosh Sawant did not answer middays calls or SMSes The number allegedly used by Mandvikar to arrange Mondays meeting was switched off