Pune police have arrested Amit Dattatray Thopate, an extortionist who demanded Rs. 10 lakh from businessman Gaurav Pramod Dugad, threatening to defame him and harm his family.

Thopate was caught red-handed accepting Rs. 2,09,500 in ransom at Pushp Mangal Karyalaya.

The victim, a 35-year-old construction businessman, received threatening messages from his driver, claiming to have compromising information about his father.

The extortionist demanded Rs. 10 lakh to keep the information private, threatening harm if the demand wasn’t met.

Under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajkumar Shinde and senior Police Inspector Shankar Salunke, the police laid a trap and arrested Thopate. A case has been registered against him under Section 308 (5) of the BNS, and he has been remanded to police custody until March 31, 2025 .