Mumbai: The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the police has arrested five persons, including a brother-sister duo, for allegedly trying to extort Rs 11 crore from a developer over a prime property in Bandra (West).
Police said Daniel Steven, his sister, Ethel Steven, and Nazir Rehman Shaikh were arrested late on Tuesday when they arrived at the developer’s office to collect the first instalment of Rs 25 lakh. Their accomplices, Abdullah Khan and Remy Fernandes, were subsequently arrested from their respective residences.
Fernandes is a member of Chhota Rajan gang and a habitual offender, said the police. They said that because of Fernandes’s involvement they were even examining whether they could apply the stringent law MCOCA in the case.
The case was registered on a complaint by Gagan Sharma, head of business development at Diljay Property Developers Pvt Ltd. The developer had acquired church property on Perera Road in Bandra through an auction and obtained a no-objection certificate from the charity commissioner. The Stevens, however, claimed rights over the property and had approached the court. Civil litigation between the parties is pending.
According to the complaint, Daniel, Ethel and their cousin Tony initially approached Sharma and allegedly demanded money to allow redevelopment work to proceed. On June 12, they allegedly demanded Rs 30 crore for themselves and Rs 15 crore for others, while threatening to obstruct the work.
The complainant further alleged that armed persons visited the property and threatened security guards. On June 26, a group of 10 to 15 persons allegedly visited the site, with one man purportedly carrying a firearm tucked into his waistband.
In July the BMC subsequently disconnected electricity and water and demolished the structure on June 24 after declaring it a C-1 category dilapidated structure. The complainant alleged that members of the Stevens family continued visiting the site with armed men and threatening security personnel.
In August, another accused identified as Nilesh, and Shaikh, Khan and Remy allegedly approached Sharma through an acquaintance and claimed that Daniel, Ethel and Tony were willing to relinquish their claim over the property for Rs 22 crore. Following negotiations, the alleged demand was brought down to Rs 11 crore, police said.
Based on the complaint, the AEC laid a trap and arrested Daniel, Ethel and Nazir while they allegedly accepted Rs 25 lakh as the first instalment. Abdullah and Remy were arrested subsequently.
All five accused were produced before the 37th metropolitan magistrate’s court, which remanded them in police custody till September 5.
Advocate Amit Hire, representing the accused, argued that the parties were already involved in a civil dispute pending before the court and claimed that his clients had been falsely implicated in the extortion case.
