Five Arrested in Bandra West for ₹11-Crore Extortion Plot Using Chhota Rajan's Name
The Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested five people for allegedly demanding ₹11 crore in extortion from a developer overseeing a redevelopment project in Bandra West. According to police officials, the suspects threatened the builder using the name of the Chhota Rajan gang to force him to pay the sum.
The arrested individuals have been identified by the authorities as Daniel Steven, Ethel Steven, Nazir Sheikh, Abdullah Khan, and Remy Fernandes. Police stated that the five suspects had instructed the developer of the redevelopment project to deliver an initial instalment of ₹25 lakh.
Following the extortion demand, the accused agreed to meet at a designated location to collect the money. However, they arrived at the meeting spot completely unaware that officers from the Anti-Extortion Cell had already laid a trap to catch them red-handed.
To carry out the sting operation, the Anti-Extortion Cell prepared a bag containing fake currency instead of the requested ₹25 lakh in genuine cash. Officials placed 50 bundles of dummy notes bearing the imprint “Children’s Bank of India” inside the bag. To ensure that the decoy looked authentic upon brief inspection, the police placed genuine ₹500 banknotes on the top and bottom of the fake bundles.
When Daniel Steven, Ethel Steven, Nazir Sheikh, Abdullah Khan, and Remy Fernandes arrived at the specified handover location, they accepted the bag containing the bundles. At that exact moment, the waiting Crime Branch team intervened, intercepting the suspects and placing all five of them under arrest.
Following the successful operation, the Crime Branch launched a deeper investigation into the case. Officials are working to establish whether the accused individuals have actual operational links to the Chhota Rajan underworld network, or if the gang's name was invoked solely as a tactic to intimidate the developer into complying with the ₹11-crore extortion demand. In addition to probing these potential underworld ties, investigators are searching for any other suspected accomplices who may have taken part in planning or carrying out the extortion plot.
