Two youths arrested for extortion attempt

PUNE: Two men were arrested on Tuesday for attempting to extort Rs 20 lakh from a businesswoman by threatening to publish obscene clips of her and her daughter.
Atul Balu Shirsat (20) of Erandwane, one of the men arrested, had been working as a temporary driver for the businesswoman for a year. He has a criminal record and a case of robbery registered against him at the Deccan Gymkhana police station.The other suspect, Hrishikesh Narayan Pawar (19) of Padmavati, works in a private company.
Speaking to TOI, inspector Sunil Tambe of the crime branch anti-terrorism cell said the woman had registered a complaint on Monday saying that for the last three or four days, an unidentified person had been making calls to her daughter’s cellphone and demanding Rs 50 lakh. “The woman stated that the caller was threatening to publish an alleged obscene clip of herself and her daughter,” Tambe said.
Tambe said that on Monday night the person again called the woman’s daughter and demanded money. “As per the directions given by the police, her daughter told the caller that she could arrange for only Rs 20 lakh. The caller agreed and asked her to go to Mitra Mandal Chowk with the cash on Tuesday afternoon,” Tambe said.
The police laid a trap near Mitra Mandal Chowk and nabbed Pawar when he came to collect the money. “During interrogation, Pawar revealed Shirsat’s name and we arrested him near the Pune railway station,” Tambe said.
The police have seized the cellphone used by the suspects. “We will produce them in court on Wednesday,” Tambe said.
The investigating team comprised police constables Deepak Mate, Sharad Jadhav, Ganesh Gaikwad, Sadeep Patil and Kiran Khude.
Atul Balu Shirsat (20) of Erandwane, one of the men arrested, had been working as a temporary driver for the businesswoman for a year. He has a criminal record and a case of robbery registered against him at the Deccan Gymkhana police station.