RAJKOT: An employee and his friend have been arrested by Wankaner police on Thursday for threatening a ceramic industrialist in their attempt to extort protection money of Rs 1 crore. The industrialist had received the threat call in April after a blast near his car, when his vehicle was moving on the Morbi-Wankaner highway.Special Operation Group (SOG) arrested Hitesh Jasmat Gami, 36, and Ghanshyam Kachra Vamora, 43, for allegedly demanding protection money from Pravin Baria. Investigation officer, S N Sati, said “Vamora held some grudge against Baria’s partner Shailesh, but he had Baria’s number handy and after causing a blast near the car, he immediately called up Baria from a Chinese phone that didn’t have an IMEI number.”According to the police complaint, on the night of April 20, Baria and his friend were travelling in a car on the Morbi-Wankaner highway, when they suddenly heard the sound of a big blast. Immediately, Baria received a call on his mobile demanding money.“This time your life was saved, but you won’t be lucky every time and it won’t take me much time to kill you and your family,” the caller told Baria. The unknown caller phoned Baria three times after the incident.According to police, a gelignite stick was used to for the blast near the car. The stick was buried on a rough road near the factory, and the power connection was given from a bike’s battery. The bike was hidden and when the car passed the accused connected the wire and the gelignite stick exploded near car.

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