Four booked for assault, attempt to extort builder

Pune: The Khadak police on Wednesday booked four persons, including a woman, for beating up a 53-year-old builder and attempting to extort Rs 10,000 from him at Bhavani Peth on Wednesday evening.
The police said the builder and his partners had recently purchased a property in Bhavani Peth for redevelopment.

"On Wednesday evening, the builder had gone to the area to take its possession," said an officer from the Khadak police.

As the builder's men were removing tin sheds on one of the rooms in the property, the four persons came to the spot and asked him to give them the scrap material. "As the builder refused to do so, they started abusing him," the officer said.

The officer said they threatened the builder, saying that he has to give them the sheds for Rs 10,000 if he wanted to construct an apartment in the Bhavani Peth area. The locality where the property is situated is primarily a slum area.

"They also threatened to kill the builder if he did not give them the money," the officer said, adding that the four persons beat up the builder, abused his business partner and fled the spot. He suffered minor injuries, the police said.

An offence has been registered under sections 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt to commit extortion) and other relevant sections of IPC.

The police said the suspects were on the run immediately after the attack. "We have identified the assailants and have launched a manhunt to trace them. We are confident to to arrest all the four suspects at the earliest," the officer said.