Pune cops fire at car's tyre, detain duo for demanding Rs 5 crore from IT firm owner

PUNE: Crime branch officers of the city police detained two men from Solapur after opening fire at their car's tyre near Patas toll plaza on Pune-Solapur highway around 4.30pm on Thursday on the charge of threatening and demanding Rs5 crore from a Kharadi-based IT firm owner.
The policemen fired two bullets at one of the rear wheels of the car after its occupants drove the vehicle towards them. A police constable suffered injuries after the car hit his leg.
The detained duo, according to the police, tried to extort the IT firm owner posing as reporters. Additional commissioner of police (crime) Ramnath Pokale told TOI, "The two detained men (aged 44 and 47) made threat calls to the IT firm owner (35) and demanded Rs50 lakh immediately. They threatened to publish defamatory news about him on an online platform if their demand was not met with."
Detained duo's car charged at cops, constable injured
The IT firm owner approached the crime branch and subsequently lodged a formal FIR against the duo with the Chadannagar police.
Senior police officers decided to lay a trap on Pune-Solapur highway to nab the duo.
The IT firm owner, sub-inspector Shrikant Chavan and police constable Surendra Jagdale reached the Patas area in a private car on Thursday.
Another police team headed by sub-inspector Mohandas Jadhav went there in a police van.
Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Amol Zende said, "The duo had asked the victim to reach the Patas area. Sub-inspector Chavan and the victim spotted their car near the Patas toll plaza. When the victim went close to their car, the duo asked him for money. At this moment, Chavan told them that he was a policeman, showed his identity card and asked them to cooperate."
According to the police, Chavan also informed them that a case of extortion was registered against them.
"This enraged the duo, and they abused and threatened the victim, Chavan and constable Jagdale. They even beat up the IT firm owner. One of them got down from the car and hurled stones at the policemen," Zende said.
"The two men then sat in the car and its driver drove towards the policemen. At first, they charged towards Jagdale and the car hit his leg, injuring him," he said.
"Following this, the car started speeding towards Chavan. But he pulled out his service revolver and opened fire at the rear wheels of the car. One of the bullets hit one of the tyres and the car stopped," he said.
The eatery owners of the area and the other police team reached the spot, overpowered the duo and took them to the Yavat police station for legal action.
"Jagdale has suffered some internal injuries to his legs. I also suffered minor injuries in my hands," sub-inspector Chavan said.