Civil contractor in Nagpur extorted of Rs 1.5 lakh; seventh case against Pramod Bhagchandani

Nagpur: Pramod Bhagchandani, who is accused of threatening people with fake molestation cases and demanding large sums, is facing mounting trouble. A fresh case has now come up in which a civil contractor was allegedly threatened with a false molestation case and made to pay Rs 1.5 lakh. Panchpaoli police have registered a case against Pramod Bhagchandani, Kailash Bombale and Shekhar Patil. It is reportedly the seventh case against Bhagchandani in recent days.

The complainant, Santosh Kumar Singh, is a civil contractor who lives in Parvati Townverse Society at Indora Chowk. Bhagchandani lives in the same society. According to the complaint, on September 24 Shekhar Patil phoned Santosh Kumar and told him that two cases had been registered against Bhagchandani and Rs 2 lakh was needed for expenses in them. He allegedly threatened to implicate Santosh Kumar in a fake molestation case if he did not pay. He was also warned that Bhagchandani's wife would file a complaint against him.

Cornered in apartment basement, Rs 2 lakh demanded

After the phone threat, Pramod Bhagchandani, Kailash Bombale and Shekhar Patil allegedly came to the apartment basement, where Santosh Kumar was pressed to pay Rs 2 lakh. Two or three days later, he went to meet Bhagchandani at his office in Indora Chowk and indicated he was ready to pay Rs 1 lakh. Bhagchandani asked for Rs 1.5 lakh. After taking the money, Santosh Kumar was allegedly asked to pay another Rs 1 lakh two or three months later, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of a great personality. The pressure was thus allegedly applied to keep the extortion going.

Santosh Kumar told his wife about the incident. Because of the accused's criminal tendencies and threats, she asked him not to file a complaint. He gathered courage after learning that cases of extortion had been registered against Bhagchandani at different police stations. Santosh Kumar had earlier also complained at Panchpaoli police station about Bhagchandani's threats. After Bhagchandani's arrest, he approached the police again and filed a complaint about the alleged extortion. Police have now registered a case against all three accused and begun an investigation.

Network of eight to ten people

The role of the alleged extortion network is also under investigation. Bhagchandani's network is said to include eight to ten people. In the latest case too, two or three other people are suspected to have been involved. Meanwhile, last week Shekhar Patil was also accused of threatening Suraj Swami, a victim in an atrocities case, within the court premises. An office near the traffic office at Indora Chowk is run on encroached government land. Bhagchandani and his associates use this office, which had become a hub of extortion. Victims of Bhagchandani and residents of the area have demanded that the municipal corporation remove the office immediately.

Role of alleged helpers should also be probed

Victims who have complained against Bhagchandani have also demanded action against those who helped the alleged extortion network. They say grocers, footwear traders, hardware traders and restaurant operators helped Bhagchandani in collecting extortion money, and that through them Bhagchandani raised crores of rupees. Bhagchandani is currently in jail in judicial custody. With new cases continuing to emerge against him, the courage of alleged victims to file complaints is growing. The biggest challenge before the police now is to trace every link of this alleged extortion network and take action as per law against those whose role in the allegations emerges.