Pune police invoke MCOCA against ‘Mathadi’ criminals for extorting businessmen at Phoenix Mall
The Pune city police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against dreaded criminal Ravindra Jayprakash Sasane and two of his aides who allegedly extorted money from businessmen at the Phoenix Mall posing as Mathadi union leaders.
While Sasane has been arrested in this case, his aides Mangal Satpute and Deepak Gaikwad are on the run. Mathadis are manual labourers who load and unload goods from trucks.
One of the businessmen had lodged a First Information Report (FIR) in this case at the Vimantal police station.
The police said the complainant was carrying out renovation work of a showroom at the Phoenix Mall in Viman Nagar in December 2022. During the renovation, when his workers were unloading plywood from a truck at the mall, Sasane and his aides stopped them and demanded Rs 4.5 lakh.
Sasane threatened the businessmen that if the money was not paid, he would not allow his workers to unload the truck. The businessman allegedly paid him Rs 2 lakh through cheque. Later, Sasane called the businessman multiple times threatening to kill him if he did not pay the remaining amount.
The police found that Sasane had formed his gang for committing serious crimes. So, a proposal to invoke MCOCA against him was submitted by senior police inspector Vilas Sonde of the Vimantal police station. The proposal was sanctioned by Additional Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma, stated a press release issued on Tuesday.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Kishor Jadhav is investigating the case.
Last month, Retesh Kumaarr, Pune City police commissioner, had held a meeting with about 120 representatives of various business establishments appealing to them to file complaints against extortionists and criminal elements among the Mathadis.
