4 held for extorting Rs1L from marble store owner in Bhukum

Pune: The Bavdhan police on Tuesday arrested four men from Pirgangut on the charge of extorting Rs 1 lakh from a marble store owner (45) at Bhukum.

The gang demanded Rs 5 lakh from the owner and Rs 20,000 per month to run the business in the area. When the owner refused to give them money, the gang assaulted him and his son late on Sunday night and forcibly took Rs 1 lakh from him, police said.

The shop owner on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Bavdhan police. The police registered a case under sections 310 (dacoity), 308 (extortion), 115, 118 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous or means) and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

An officer from the Bavdhan police said, "We have arrested four people and the search is on for others."

He said, according to the complainant, late on Sunday night, a gang of about 10 men came to his store and demanded Rs 5 lakh and then Rs 20,000 per month subsequently to run his business in the Bhukum. "When the complainant refused to give them money, the men thrashed him. One of the suspects assaulted the complainant's son with a sharp knife, while another snatched their cellphones," the officer said.

"They then forced the father-son duo to reveal the passwords of their UPI accounts and transferred Rs 90,000 from their bank accounts. They also snatched Rs 10,000 from the complainant and fled," he said.