Barely a week after receiving an extortion call, three assailants fired three rounds from a pistol at a SRA builder in Devi Pada area of Borivali (east) on Tuesday. The police has arrested a convicted criminal for reportedly conspiring the attack.
The victim Rajaram Madhavkar (64) lives in Sahyadri complex in Devi Pada. Madhavkar had set off in his black Skoda car with driver Dinesh Mandarkar (39). Both escaped the attempt unscathed. The Kasturba Marg police said the incident took place around 11 am in one of the small lanes near Suvidya High School.
“Just as the car was taking a turn, the assailants who were waiting at the corner of the road, showed up and sprayed bullets at the car,” said police inspector, Sadashiv Salunkhe. While a bullet hit the rear windshield of the car, one each hit on the back doors of the car. Two empty shells and a live cartridge were recovered from the spot. The assailants managed to escape from the spot and there were no CCTV cameras in the area, the police said.
Mr Madhavkar has carried out works of five buildings under the SRA scheme. On May 20, Mr Madhavkar received a phone call, where the caller said he was calling on behalf of Yusuf Bachkana, an aide of Chhota Rajan, and threatened to kill him if he did not cough up `2 lakh. A scared Mr Madhavkar had then approached the Kasturba Marg police.
“We have arrested Parshuram Nalavde (26), who was in Nashik jail after being convicted in 2008 for a murder case with the Kasturba Marg police, and had come out on parole for 90 days. Nalavde’s parole was to end on May 31. We believe he has conspired the attack, as he knew Bachkana and certain things the extortionists had mentioned on the phone to Mr Madhavkar. We are searching the three henchmen,” said ACP Sunil Deshmukh.
The police would be seeking Bachkana’s custody, who was arrested in 1998 by DCP Ambadas Pote in a murder case. After conviction, Bachkana was lodged in a Karnataka jail.