Builders paid ransom after threat calls: cops

NAVI MUMBAI: In 2014, five real estate developers approached the Navi Mumbai police after receiving threat calls from underworld gangsters.

The callers from diff erent gangs such as Ravi Pujari, Chhota Rajan, Fahim Machmach and Sikandar made the calls from different countries including Pakistan, Nigeria, Libya and Tanzania, said the police.

They asked for ransom of up to Rs2 crore.

The police believe some of the developers paid the ransom even after registering the cases.

“In most of the cases reported to us in the past few years, the complainant received calls from the Ravi Pujari gang,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

“After a few weeks of registering the cases, certain com- plainants said they had stopped receiving calls from the gangsters. If they do not pay the ransom, why would the gangsters stop calling?” he said.

KL Prasad, police commissioner of Navi Mumbai, said, “We gave police protection to three builders who received calls from the underworld in 2014. We are taking the help of the voice bank of the Mumbai police to verify the authenticity of the caller.”

“At times, people also receive prank calls asking for ransom. However, I have not come across such cases in Navi Mumbai till now,” he said.

THE CALLERS WERE FROM DIFFERENT GANGS SUCH AS RAVI PUJARI, CHHOTA RAJAN, FAHIM MACHMACH AND SIKANDAR, POLICE SAID