Ahmedabad: R S Sodhi, Managing Director of Anand-based dairy major Amul, today allegedly received an extortion call from a person claiming to be a member of fugitive underworld don Ravi Pujari’s gang.
After the incidence, a probe was initiated by the Ahmedabad crime branch.
Sodhi is the MD of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which sells its products under 'Amul' brand and has headquarters at Anand town in Kheda district.
According to crime branch officials, a person claiming to be a member of Pujari gang called Sodhi a few days back and demanded Rs 25 crore as protection money.
"The extortion call was made from an international number.
Sodhi was asked to pay Rs 25 crore or else face consequences," city crime branch's Assistant Commissioner of Police, K N Patel said.
"Since we are already probing few other cases related to extortion calls claimed to be made by Ravi Pujari gang, the state DGP has ordered to hand over the probe to us," he said.
According to him, a computer software might have been used to divert a local call into an international call.
"Though it was an international number, it is possible that the call might have been made from India. Using some softwares, one can convert the local number into an international number. We are now probing the case from different angles," Patel added.
Ravi Pujari is a fugitive Indian gangster who is believed to be running a murderous extortion racket from a secret hideout in Australia.
In February 2016, he had threatened to kill Hurriyat faction Syed Ali Geelani over the controversy of JNU anti-India protests.
(With PTI Inputs)
