Arun Gawli arrested for extortion

Mumbai: Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli was arrested Monday afternoon by Mumbai Police for his alleged involvement in an extortion case.

The arrest was made after the crime branch of Mumbai Police gathered sufficient evidence against him for allegedly extorting money from a city builder, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria told IANS.

Gawli, a legislator, represents his party Akhil Bharatiya Sena.

Last month, Gawli's brother Vijay Ahir, 35, was arrested for attempting to extort Rs.2.5 million from a builder whose real estate project is coming up in central Mumbai.

Along with Ahir, the crime branch has also arrested two other Gawli supporters, who have been identified as Dinesh Narkar, 23, and Sudhir Ghorpade, 40.