Gawli gang member arrested for demanding ransom

Thane: A 38-year-old man, said to be a member of the Arun Gawli gang, has been arrested by the anti-extortion cell of Thane crime branch for allegedly demanding a ransom of Rs five lakh from a Dombivali-based hotel-owner, police said.

Vijay Vasant Devlekar, resident of Dombivali, was arrested yesterday on the complaint of the hotel owner, D Pandurang (50). Pandurang owns hotel `Raj Mudra` in Dombivali east. Devlekar and his accomplice, identified as Shekhar Bansode who is lodged in a Mumbai jail, allegedly called the hotel-owner several times to demand the ransom last month, saying that they were members of Arun Gawli gang. The sleuths of anti-extortion cell traced the phone calls and arrested Devlekar from Dombivali. Police has sought the custody of Bansode, a Mumbai resident who is currently lodged in Arthur road jail in connection with the a gangwar-related shoot-out. "We have demanded his custody," senior police inspector N Kadam said. According to police, the accused and the complainant lived in same `chawl` (colony) in childhood, and they knew that after becoming turning a businessman Pandurang had become financially well-off.