Dindoshi police on Sunday night arrested union leader Gangeshwarlal Srivastava from Pune in a case of extortion.
Srivastava is also accused of abetting the suicide of a Marathi film and TV art director. Raju Sapta.
Srivastava is a senior leader of Film Studio Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union and his office is in Malad (East). Police said that Srivastava, along with Rakesh Maurya, Rajesh Anubhav and Ashok Dubey, was extorting extortion from a laborer who is a member of their union.
An FIR of extortion, intimidation and assault was lodged by the laborer on July 30. The three were owed Rs 2.5 lakh to the laborer, but they were allegedly threatening him and demanding 10% commission from him.
“We have arrested Anubhav while Dubey and Maurya are wanted accused. Acting on a tip-off, we arrested Srivastava from Pune.
“He was produced in a magistrate’s court on Monday and remanded to police custody for a day,” said Dharmendra Kamble, senior police inspector of Dindoshi police station.
Dubey, Srivastava and Maurya are also accused in the case of abetment to suicide registered at Wakad police station in Pimpri Chinchwad. Senior Inspector Vivek Mugalikar of Wakad police station confirmed the incident.
Last month, Sapta had died by suicide in Pune following alleged harassment by an office-bearer of the film studio Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union. Before his death, Sapte had released a video stating the reason for the suicide.
Suresh Gupta, President of All India Cine Workers Association said, “While Srivastava has been granted anticipatory bail in the Sapte case, we are hopeful that the Pune Police will soon interrogate him in the Sapte suicide case. Sapte had named him in his suicide note.
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