PANJIM: Porvorim police bust an extortion gang with the arrest of two persons, including a murder accused, within 48 hours of a complaint lodged by two businessmen.
Manas Jena and Madhav Sahu had filed a complaint alleging that Vijay Karbotkar, who is presently out on bail in a murder case, and two accomplices had kidnapped and assaulted them and extorted Rs 10,000 from them. One of the two kidnappers-cum-extortionists has been identified as Krishna Rathod, a fish seller at Porvorim.
Jena and Sahu who escaped from the gang informed the police that the three accused chased them in a red car and stopped their bike near a pizza centre. They were assaulted and the amount extorted from them. A team led by PI Jivba Dalvi launched a manhunt to search for the absconders after seizing their vehicle from Torda junction after registering a criminal case.
Karbotkar, who is being investigated for two cases of murder and robbery, also has a number of non-cognizable cases against him, Dalvi said. “He would threaten people using his criminal background to extort money from them. There is every possibility that the gang might have extorted many other persons,” the officer said, adding that the search for the third absconder is on.
