Shiv Sena Leader Booked for Extortion and Assault in Kandivali

The Kandivali police have registered a case against Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Lal Singh Purohit and five others for extortion and assault. Purohit, who also serves as a branch head, allegedly demanded ₹5 lakh from a contractor working on a road project at Dattani Road and Irani Wadi Road No. 3 in Kandivali. When the demand was not met, three civil engineers were brutally assaulted, according to the police.

The incident occurred on December 27 between 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM. Police have arrested two of the accused, while Purohit remains absconding. The five other accused have been identified as Ganesh Pawar, Pinto Jaiswal, Vikas Gupta, Nilesh Jaiswal, and Suresh Shah.

As per the FIR, Purohit had demanded ₹5 lakh from the contractor, threatening to halt the work if the money was not paid. When the contractor refused, Purohit summoned three civil engineers—Vishwanath Chaurasia, Vineet Singh, and Ashish Mallah—to his office, where he allegedly threatened them. Outside the office, 10–15 associates of Purohit reportedly verbally abused the engineers before assaulting them with kicks, punches, and sticks.

Investigations revealed that in February 2024, Purohit had previously extorted ₹4 lakh from the same contractor. Despite receiving the amount, he demanded an additional ₹5 lakh, leading to the recent incident.

“The contractor was threatened that the work would not proceed without paying the demanded amount,” a police official stated. “We are also investigating whether Purohit has been involved in similar extortion cases in the past.”

The police have launched a manhunt to locate Purohit, who is currently on the run. Further investigations are underway.