Mira Bhayandar: The Navghar police have arrested a self-proclaimed Matahadi Union leader on alleged charges of extorting money from the owners of industrial units in Bhayandar.

Claiming to be an officer bearer of the Maharashtra Nav-Nirman Mathadi Kaamgar Sena, the accused who has been identified as -Chandrashekhar Ravindra Jadhav (40) along with his goons had been running an extortion racket by forcing factory owners in the industrial areas of Bhayandar (east). Jadhav and his goons who had wreaked havoc in the industrial areas forced the factory owners to get their workers registered with their union by issuing threats of stopping their units from operating.

The action followed after one of the victims approached the association of steel manufacturers and traders where he learnt that he was not alone as several other factory owners had been targeted by the gang. The association decided to register a complaint against the goons.

In their statement to the police, the complainants said that the gang was extorting Rs 20,000 from each industrial unit since April, 2024. Taking a serious note of the issue, a team from the Navghar police station under the supervision of senior police inspector- Dhiraj Koli arrested Jadhav and booked him under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for extortion and criminal intimidation.

Not ruling out more arrests in the case, police sub inspector-Niwas Garle is conducting further investigations. Mathadi refers to a head-loader or manual worker who carries loads on their head or back. The term is also used to describe their work including -loading, unloading, stacking and weighing.

However, some unscrupulous elements are running an extortion network by impersonating leaders of Mathadi union to target industry owners, hoteliers and even developers in the twin-city. Officials from the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have resolved to deal with the menace with an iron fist.