(Representational Image) (Representational Image) FOUR PERSONS have been arrested for allegedly trying to extort money from an Andheri-based television actor. The police said one of the accused, posing as a member of the Arun Gawli gang, demanded money after a Bollywood actor failed to turn up for an event organised by him. The four accused, Sanjay Vorpe (40), Nivriti Yadav (38), Santosh Shiurkar (34) and Ishwar Shinde (22), were arrested on Friday. The complainant, Karan Singh, has alleged that he met one Ajay Sharma in Agra in 2016. “We met during a shoot and he introduced himself as the owner of an event management company,” Singh said in his statement to the police. He alleged that on October 16, Sharma contacted him and said he wanted an actor to attend a children’s day programme organised at Modern Public School in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad. “I contacted the manager of the Bollywood actor, who demanded Rs 5 lakh to attend the programme. I informed Sharma and he instantly transferred Rs 6 lakh to my account, Rs 1 lakh being my commission,” Singh said. A day before the event, the actor’s manager allegedly called Singh to say that due to personal reasons, she won’t be able to attend the event. “On November 14, I met the actor’s legal team… they refused to return the Rs 5 lakh that was paid to her,” said Singh. On November 15, Singh received a call, in which the caller, posing as a client, asked him to meet him near a mall at Andheri. “On reaching, I called him… he asked me to come and sit inside a white Safari car waiting outside the mall. Four persons were already present in the car. As soon as I sat down, one of them showed me a card of Akhil Bhartiya Sena, with the picture of Arun Gawli. He alleged that he worked for him,” Singh told the police. The four then demanded Rs 10 lakh from Singh as the Bollywood actor has failed to return the money paid by the organisers of the Moradabad programme. “They asked Singh to pay the money the next day, else they threatened to kill him,” said a police officer. Following this, Singh approached the Amboli police station and got a case registered. “We asked the complainant to call the accused near a mall. As soon as they arrived, they were arrested,” said the officer. For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

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