Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

WHAT DOES MCOCA MEAN?

- Manish K Pathak

MCOCA to be applied to Rajan aide, gang members

MUMBAI:

The anti-extortion cell (AEC) of the Mumbai crime branch invoked the stringent Maharashtr­a Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against gangster Chhota Rajan’s henchman Yusuf Suleiman Kadri alias Yusuf Bachkana and two others of his gang in connection with an extortion case. The AEC has moved the proposal to joint commission­er of police (crime branch) Milind Bharambe in the last week of July. Following the proposal, all three accused Bachkana, and his two associates Habiba Khan and Prakash Kunchikurv­e were produced again in the sessions court and remanded in police custody till August 11.

Under MCOCA, an accused cannot obtain bail easily. The trio has been arrested for threatenin­g a Ghatkoparb­ased developer and demanding ₹50 lakh from him.

Police claimed Bachkana was a sharp-shooter for Chhota Rajan. Later, he became close to Ravi Pujari and started allegedly making extortion calls to businessme­n in Mumbai and other cities. He used to send his men to threaten businessme­n

Under the stringent Maharashtr­a Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), an accused cannot obtain bail easily The anti-extortion cell (AEC) of the Mumbai crime branch has invoked the Act against Chhota Rajan’s henchman Yusuf Suleiman Kadri alias Yusuf Bachkana and two others of his gang in connection with an extortion case

The case against Bachkana was filed in June for allegedly threatenin­g and demanding ₹50 lakh

on the directions of Pujari, but due to lack of evidence, was acquitted in most cases, added the officer. The case against Bachkana was filed in June for allegedly threatenin­g and demanding ₹50 lakh from inside the Karnataka jail where Bachkana has been serving a life sentence. The AEC took his custody on a production warrant from jail and arrested Bachkana on July 20 and his two associates – Khan and Kunchikurv­e – for helping him.

The crime branch officer said they learnt that apart from inside the Karnataka jail where Bachkana has been serving a life sentence. The AEC took his custody on a production warrant from jail and arrested Bachkana on July 20 and his two associates – Habiba Khan and Prakash Kunchikurv­e – for helping him Bachkana had targeted two more developers of Mumbai with the help of Khan and demanded ₹25 lakh from each of them, according to a crime branch officer. l l l l l

from the Ghatkopar developer, Bachkana had targeted two more developers of Mumbai with the help of Khan and demanded ₹25 lakh from each of them. “We have recorded the statement of the victims and instead of registerin­g separate cases, they have been made witness and their statements have been merged in the Ghatkopar case,” added the crime branch officer.

“There are chances that many more gang members are involved and few more might be arrested in the case.”

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