NAGPUR: An alleged extortion attempt at a bakery on CA Road took an ugly turn in Nagpur on Monday when a man allegedly demanded ₹5,000 as monthly ‘protection money’ from the shop staff and threatened to kill them if they refused.

The matter escalated further when a police team reached his residence in Mominpura to arrest him, but his family members allegedly abused and assaulted the personnel, obstructed government work and helped him escape.

According to Tehsil police, the first incident occurred around 3.15 pm on November 9 at Manish Bakery, located in Chandralok Building on CA Road. The accused, Arbaaz Shanu Bhanja (36), a resident of Mominpura, allegedly visited the shop and picked up a packet of dry fruits and a family pack of ice cream.

When Sagar Patel, an employee at the bakery, asked him to pay for the goods, Bhanja allegedly warned him, saying that if the shop wanted to continue doing business in the area, its staff should not ask him for money for the items he took.

While leaving with the goods, he allegedly told Patel that whenever he visited the shop, he would have to be given ₹5,000 for his expenses. He also allegedly threatened to kill him if the demand was not met.

Following a complaint by the shop owner, identified as Akshay Manish Agarwal (37), a resident of Ishant Tower, Buty Layout, Shivajinagar, Tahsil police registered an extortion case against Bhanja.

Family members allegedly obstruct police

Later, around 4.55 pm, a police team led by Head Constable Pankaj Borate, along with staff, reached Bhanja’s residence near Kamal Baba Dargah in Mominpura to apprehend him.

However, two women identified as Firdos Arbaaz alias Sonu Patel (30) and Parjana Ismail Karim Patel (50), reportedly his wife and mother, allegedly confronted the police personnel.

Firdos allegedly shouted at the policemen, accusing them of falsely implicating her husband. Parjana allegedly threatened to set herself on fire if the police took her son away.

The women allegedly rushed towards the police personnel and pulled the hands of the complainant officer, who was holding Bhanja, enabling him to escape. They also allegedly abused the personnel and obstructed them from discharging their official duties.

Following the incident, Tehsil police registered a second case against the two women for obstructing government work and other offences.