A gangster from Jharkhand, who used to travel to Vashi only to make extortion calls, was arrested on Tuesday in a joint operation by the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) teams from both states.
The accused, identified as Aman Sushil Srivastava alias Rohan Vinod Kumar, 31, had been wanted in more than 40 cases, including murder, attempt to murder, and extortion since 2015, police officers said.
According to the police, Srivastava would target mine owners and railway contractors in the coal belt of Jharkhand and would mostly stay in Gujarat and Delhi. However, he had identified the premises outside Vashi railway station to make his extortion calls, a release issued by Maharashtra ATS said.
Explaining his method, a police officer said, he would switch on his phone only after reaching Vashi station and would then try to find a free Wi-FI connection. If he could not find one, he would use the hotspot from his second phone and make threat calls on WhatsApp, the officer added.
After Jharkhand ATS officials traced his mobile location and zeroed in on Vashi station, they reached out to their Maharashtra counterparts. Accordingly, two teams camped in the station vicinity and waited for a week since they were unaware of Srivastava’s pattern. On Tuesday, when he arrived, he was arrested.
The police also seized ₹50,000 in cash, mobile phones and SIM cards from the accused. He headed the Srivastava gang after the death of his father Sushil Srivastava who was killed in a clash on the Hazaribagh court premises in 2015, the release said.
Srivastava was also booked under the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the statement added.
He was produced before Thane sessions court which granted the Jharkhand ATS transit remand, and he would be taken there within five days. He is currently lodged at Vashi police station lock-up.