Mumbai: Store owner beaten over extortion bid in Kandivli

The accused, 25, was arrested on Sunday based on complaint filed by the store owner. Representative Image

Kandivli's Samta Nagar police on Sunday arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with an attempted extortion and assault case based on a complaint filed by a store owner. The police said they have identified the arrested accused as Rohit Babu Kaprala, while the search for another accused, Linga Babu Kaprala, is on.

According to the police, the duo were trying to extort money from a store owner and when he refused, they assaulted him and one of his employees with sticks and fled with a box of chocolate worth Rs 1,620.

The victim, Swapnil Goswami, 34, owns Shraddha General Store in Sethiya Imperial Tower, located in Kandivali East.

According to the police, Rohit and Linga are both history sheeters with over ten serious offence cases registered against them in several police stations.

The incident took place on Friday (September 27) at around 5 pm, when the duo approached Goswami's store and demanded money from one of his employees. Following the incident, he called Goswami, who then confronted the accused.

Speaking to mid-day, Goswami said when he reached the store, he saw four people abusing his employee and when he went to confront them, they beat him and his employee with sticks and fled the scene with a chocolate box.

"I recognised two of the accused and approached the police," he said, adding that the incident was caught on surveillance camera. Goswami said that he hopes the police will recognise the other two accused as well and all four will be apprehended soon.

"We have registered a case under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including extortion. One accused has been arrested while another is at large. Further investigation into the matter has been launched," an officer from Samta Nagar police station said.