Extortionist Wasim held in raid at Garden Reach Road

Police arrested extortionist Md Wasim, who had been threatening real estate developer in the city’s port area for the past few days, late night on Monday. He was arrested with an improvised firearm from one of his hideout on Garden Reach Road.

Police said that acting on a tip off, a team comprising of police officers from South Port Police Station (SPPS) and Special Squad of Port Division (SSPD) conducted a raid in the hideout where Wasim was busy over his mobile phone. There were some more associates of the prime accused, but they had somehow managed to flee.

A police officer said that the 32-year-old man Wasim had been threatening real estate developers in the area with dire consequences if they do not give him money. The minimum amount that he had asked a businessman to give was Rs 4 lakh. In the port area, there are some ongoing projects of big real estate developing companies.

Most of the flats each on around four to five cottahs of land were being developed jointly by three to four businessmen. Wasim had started targeting such businessmen to get Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh from each of them.

A police officer said that at least three five such real estate developer have complaint verbally against Wasim while two had lodged written complaint with the police against him and four of his associates. Though he was arrested on charges of possessing illegal fire arms and was booked under various sections of the Arms Act, there are many other pending cases against him. 

He was remanded in the custody of 10 days after being produced before the Bankshall Court. He was also involved in the incident at Ekbalpore in which the car of Deputy Commissioner of Port Division was ransacked. A senior police officer said, “The incidents of demanding extortion money from real estate developers in the area would come down with the arrest of Wasim.”