The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Members of extortion gang arrested

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Members of extortion gang arrested

Staff Reporter

The gang leader used to work as a courier for Praja Pratighatana leader Mohan of Khammam district

HYDERABAD: The Vanasthalipuram police on Tuesday caught three members of a gang, who extorted Rs. 10,000 at gunpoint from a businessman in Secunderabad and tried to collect money from a bank manager in a similar fashion.

Leader of the gang, Jeevan, member of a breakaway naxal group Praja Pratighatana, and his associate Raju, managed to escape from the chasing police party.

Jeevan used to work as a courier for Praja Pratighatana leader Mohan of Khammam district. He procured a country-made revolver and hatched a plot to extort money from rich persons in the city.

Well-hatched plan

Jeevan sent Raju to the city a few days ago to prepare a list of targets. On Sunday, the gang leader drove to the city with three other associates. As per the plan, the gang went to the Bank of Baroda's branch manager K. Chandraiah's house in Vanasthalipuram demanding Rs. 1.5 lakh.

They threatened to shoot him if he failed to part with the money.

The bank manager, however, said he was helpless since he kept all the cash in the bank and requested them to wait till the next day.

On Monday, the gang members first went to the office of a real estate businessman Venkateswar Rao in Regimental Bazar and collected Rs. 10,000 from him.

Later, they rang up Chandraiah and asked him to come to Singapore city along with the money, which they had demanded.

Police approached

Meanwhile, Chandraiah approached the local police. As per the instructions of the police, Chandraiah proceeded to Singapore City but Jeevan changed the meeting place to Medipally village after he grew suspicious that the police were following the bank manager.

Special police teams led by Vanasthalipuram police station Inspector M. Chandrashekhar rounded up the car in which the gang members were waiting at Medipally.

On seeing the approaching police, Jeevan and Raju fled, while three of their accomplices were rounded up by the police.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh