Mumbai Crime: Two more arrested for trying to extort Rs 10 crore from builder

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Just a week after the Crime Branch arrested real estate agent Dharmendra Raghu Khandagle for trying to extort '10 crore from a builder, two others were nabbed on Thursday for planning the process.

The duo has been identified as Besmond Tarakand, a landowner, and Shailesh Kambli, a real estate agent. Main accused Khandagle had tried to extort the money by posing as a gangster, but police investigation revealed that his voice didn't match with the person whose name he used. An analysis of his voice samples led to his arrest.

Sources said in 2010, the victim, who is a Santacruz-based builder, had struck a deal with the owner of a land through Khandagle. Later, due to some dispute between the two, the deal didn't work out. In December 2017, the builder started receiving calls from an unknown international number. The caller identified himself as a gangster and asked him to pay Rs 10 crore to the landowner and settle the matter. The victim received multiple such calls till February 2018.

The victim approached the Vakola police in June this year and filed a complaint in the matter. Thereafter, an extortion case was registered and it was transferred to Unit VIII of Crime Branch. "After we analysed the extortion calls, we realised that the caller's voice was different from that of the gangster whose name he used. Then we gathered information about all the people associated with the builder and zeroed in on Khandagle. We are trying to find out if more people are involved," said an officer.

Nisar Tamboli, DCP, Crime Branch, said, "We have arrested two more accused in the case. They were produced in court and remanded in police custody till July 25."

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