Mhada official, brother arrested

MUMBAI: Deputy collector of Mhada, Nitesh Thakur, and his brother Nilesh were arrested on Tuesday for threatening builder Mukesh Wagela, said the police.
Crime branch senior inspector Sripad Kale said Nilesh was the proprietor of PRS Enterprises that was a consultant for the redevelopment of a property in Kandivli. Wagela and Pandurang Thakur were appointed middle-men and were each promised a 5% cut of the Rs 148 crore profit earned by PRS.But in three years they were paid only Rs 30 lakh each and were given a jeep. Whenever Waghela and his associate Pandurang Thakur asked for their money, the brothers made excuses and subsequently refused to entertain them.
According to the police, Nilesh owed Wagela Rs 14.5 crore but instead of repaying the builder, he used gangsters to extort more cash. "On one occasion Nitish called Wagela and Thakur to a Sion hotel, offered them Rs 25 lakh each as final settlement and beat them for refusing to accept it. Last year, Wagela got calls from Dubai by a man named Ganibhai who threatened to kill him and demanded Rs 2 crore," a police officer said.
Metropolitan magistrate D H Sharma sent the brothers to police custody till February 11.Five others including Sunil Bhaide, Santosh Kunekar and Ganibhai who threatened Waghela and his associate are on the run.
The state anti-corruption bureau has registered a disproportionate assets case against Nitesh. He was on leave since last five years and acquired assets of Rs 300 crore, an officer said. He owns four flats in Andheri and proprietor of Lucky Angel Group. He was officer on special duty at J J Hospital before joining Mhada in 2006.