Seems it’s back to his notorious heydays for Ashwin Naik – giving cops the runaround after browbeating someone. Even as the gangster turned developer allegedly remains absconding, Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik has transferred a case of assault and extortion filed against Naik by a BMC contractor to the Crime Branch. MiD DAY had reported the incident yesterday (‘Ashwin Naik booked for assaulting BMC contractor’). Dhiraj Gohil, the victim, had also claimed that NM Joshi Marg police had delayed lodging an FIR, complying only after directions from additional commissioner of police, central region, Vineet Agarwal. The cops had added sections of extortion against Naik only after the report appeared in MiD DAY.

Wheels in motion: Naik was booked after he and his associates allegedly assaulted and attempted to extort money from the BMC contractor at the instance of the latter’s cousin sister. File pic