Pune: Kondhwa Police Invoke MCOCA Against ‘Pathan Gang’ For Allegedly Extorting Builder ₹15 Lakh
Pune: Kondhwa Police Invoke MCOCA Against 'Pathan Gang' For Allegedly Extorting Builder ₹15 Lakh
Pune, July 9, 2026: The Kondhwa Police have invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against an alleged organised crime syndicate accused of extorting money from a construction contractor by threatening to halt his project through false complaints of illegal construction.
According to the police, the case pertains to incidents that allegedly took place between January 2024 and January 2026. The complainant, Akbar Mehboob Khan (36), a labour contractor and landowner from Ramtekdi, Hadapsar, was carrying out construction on his property in Kondhwa Khurd within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits.
Police alleged that the accused repeatedly threatened the complainant by filing false complaints with the PMC over alleged illegal construction. They allegedly demanded ₹25 lakh in cash and a 2-BHK flat in exchange for not obstructing the project and allowing the construction to continue.
According to the FIR, the accused allegedly accepted ₹15 lakh from the complainant through intimidation and threats of stopping the construction work.
The accused have been identified as:
- Shafi Gulzarkhan Pathan (66) of Parge Nagar, Kondhwa.
- Sameer Shafi Pathan (36), son of Shafi Pathan, also a resident of Parge Nagar, Kondhwa.
- Kamal Nitin Khairnar (62) of Pisoli.
- Sajid Hasan Shaikh (40) of Pokale Mala, Parge Nagar, Kondhwa.
Based on the complaint, Kondhwa Police had registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for extortion, criminal intimidation, and common intention.
During the investigation, police found that the accused were allegedly involved in multiple similar extortion cases, indicating the existence of an organised criminal syndicate. Following the findings, Kondhwa Police submitted a proposal to invoke the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999.
The proposal was approved by Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil, following recommendations routed through Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajlaxmi Shivanakar. Subsequently, sections 3(1)(ii), 3(2), and 3(4) of the MCOCA were added to the case, and the investigation was transferred to Assistant Commissioner of Police Ramdas Ingawale of the Wanawadi Division.
Police have arrested Shafi Gulzarkhan Pathan and Sameer Shafi Pathan in connection with the case, while further investigation is underway.
Kondhwa Police have appealed to citizens, particularly builders and developers, to come forward and report any attempts at extortion or misuse of legal processes to threaten or intimidate them.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner Sanjay Darade, Additional Commissioner Manoj Patil, DCP Rajlaxmi Shivanakar, ACP Ramdas Ingawale, Senior Police Inspector Santosh Khetmals, and Crime Inspector Prashant Mandale, with the investigation led by Police Sub-Inspector Ravindra Gavade and the Kondhwa Police surveillance team.
