Maha: Posing as naxals, trio try to extort Rs 50 lakh from doctor, held

Investigations have revealed that the trio had planned the extortion by watching videos on YouTube, an official said.

A 76-year-old doctor, who has a clinic at Pandurang Wadi area Goregaon (east), had on Wednesday received an envelope containing a letter from a Naxal organisation, in which a demand for Rs 50 lakh had been made, he said.

In the letter, the accused persons had threatened to kill the doctor and his son if the amount was not paid, the official said, adding that a case of extortion was registered at Vanrai police station.

During the probe, the police found that a burqa-clad woman had come to a pharmacy adjacent to the complainant''s clinic and had given the envelope to the doctor''s relative, he said.

On examining the CCTV footage, the police were able to make out the woman''s face and accordingly, police teams were dispatched to Virar, Palghar, Navi Mumbai, Goregaon and Malad areas to hunt for her, he said.

The woman was finally traced to Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai and apprehended on Friday, while the two other accused were subsequently nabbed.

The accused Bhaishakhi Biswas (21), Modh Hayat Shaha (45) and Vikrant Kirat (50) said that they had hatched the plan after watching YouTube videos, said DCP Datta Nalawade (Detection-1).

The trio were in need of money and knew that the doctor was a well-to-do man, the official said, adding that the woman worked in a bar and had come in contact with the other accused.