Azad Maidan police to seek custody of gangster DK Rao

Azad Maidan police are likely to seek the custody of D K Rao, a former aide of Chhota Rajan. Rao was arrested by the Mumbai crime branch on October 13 in a Rs 50-lakh extortion case.

The Azad Maidan police will be seeking his custody for his alleged involvement in an 2012 extortion case. On January 9, 2012, five associates of Rao had threatened a businessman to hand over all his property, after holding his father hostage at their residence at Hazarimal Somani Marg at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Ankur Goyal (30), Sagar Singhram(26), Nilesh Keni (35), Velu Nayar (30), Vikram Naydu alias Mastan Sheikh and Santosh Jaiswal alias Kalwa had at the time allegedly barged into the house of businessman Abhishek Saraf. Rao had held Abhishek’s father Badriprasad hostage. Thereafter, Rao called up Abhishek and threatened to kill Badriprasad if he did not sign on a blank paper promising to hand over all his property. The police had arrested Goyal, Singhram, Keni and Nayar, while both Naydu and Jaiswal had managed to escape.

According to Vasant Vakhare, Senior Police Inspector, Azad Maidan police station, “We are planning to seek the custody of DK Rao in the case registered against him in 2012.”

An FIR was registered against the six accused including Rao for wrongful confinement (Section 342), putting a person in fear of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion (Section 387), house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint (Section 452) and common intention (Section 34) of the IPC.