MLA'S brother gets extortion call

MUMBAI: Brother of a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLA has alleged that he was threatened by a man, suspected to be an aide of fugitive gangster Kumar Pillai, who tried to extort Rs 75 lakh from him. Arvind Sangle, brother of MLA Mangesh Sangle and an architect by profession, has lodged an FIR in this regard, police said on Monday. According to police, at about 10 am on Sunday, a person, introducing himself as Kailash Sawant, barged into the first floor flat of Arvind in suburban Vikhroli. He made Arvind, who is also into construction business, speak to Pillai, who reminded him about the previous extortion call made to him on July 18, said S V Tawre, Inspector at Vikhroli Police Station. During the last call, Arvind was asked to pay Rs 75 lakh - Rs 25 lakh for him and Rs 50 lakh for his legislator- brother - as extortion money or face death. Arvind had then not taken the matter seriously and refrained from filing a police complaint, Tawre said. "After Sunday’s call, Arvind registered an FIR against Sawant and Kumar Pillai," he said. The duo has been booked under IPC sections related to extortion and house-trespass, the police officer added. Meanwhile, the MLA said he met Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh and sought speedy investigation into the case. "The Commissioner assured me that Crime Branch will conduct a parallel investigation into the case and nab the accused at the earliest," Mangesh added.