BJP corporator booked for extortion, assault on Kharghar restaurateur

NAVI MUMBAI: BJP corporator from Kharghar Shatrughna Kakade (38) and his 8-10 aides have been booked for extortion and assault on a restaurateur. The complainant, Imtiaz Shaikh (41), is in hospital with a fractured nose and injuries on the head and ribs. “Kakade and his aides are untraceable,” said senior inspector Pradeep Tidar. When TOI tried to contact Kakade, his phone was switched off.
The police said on Friday night, Kakade and his men barged into Hotel Shahi Bawarchi and assaulted Shaikh for refusing to pay Rs 50,000 ‘security money’. The incident has been caught on CCTV cameras at the restaurant.

On July 6, Shaikh opened the restaurant.“After 8-10 days, Kakade came to my restaurant...He was annoyed for not being invited for the inauguration,” he said. “He told me to pay him Rs 50,000 every month as security money. I refused. He threatened me and said he won’t let me do business.”

Shaikh told TOI: “On August 10, around 10 pm, I was parking my SUV, when Kakade, who was in his SUV, kept honking behind me. I moved the bike obstructing my path, walked towards Kakade and apologized to him. He again asked me to pay Rs 50,000. I refused and he and four-five men rained blows on me. I ran inside the restaurant, but they followed me and punched and kicked me. I started bleeding from my nose and vomited blood. My partner’s father Shaukat Khan (53) tried to call the police, but they manhandled him too.” Shaikh went to Kharghar police station but the cops told him to get himself examined at Panvel rural hospital. “I got admitted at MGM Hospital. As I was un-able to talk...cops couldn’t record my statement. The FIR was registered on Sunday.”