Pune: 50,000 Extortion Collected Monthly for 8 Years; Shivam Andekar and Accomplice Arrested in Robbery Case
Pune: In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that a gang led by Shivam Udaykant Andekar has been collecting ₹50,000 per month as extortion from a fish market stall owner in Ganesh Peth, Pune, for the past 8 years totaling around ₹48 lakh. When one payment was missed, the gang reportedly raided the shop, threw out goods worth ₹90,000, and forcibly loaded them into a tempo and took them away.
Police have now arrested Shivam Andekar (30), a resident of Ashok Chowk, Nana Peth, and Akash Pardeshi (30), from Lohiyanagar. Shivam is the son of former corporator Udaykant Andekar and is a known member of the Andekar Gang, with several serious charges including extortion, assault, and threats filed against him. In 2020, he had been externed from the city, but returned after the order expired. In 2021, he was again arrested for physically assaulting police officers in a separate incident.
The current case was registered after a 40-year-old shopkeeper filed a complaint at Faraskhana Police Station. The complaint states that since 2016, Shivam threatened to kill the victim unless he paid ₹50,000 monthly. Akash Pardeshi had been collecting this amount regularly, with most of the payments made online.
When the shopkeeper failed to pay in May this year, Shivam, Akash, and 4–5 accomplices vandalized the shop and forcibly removed goods worth ₹90,000, which they took away in a tempo. Out of fear, the victim did not initially report the incident, but finally approached the police on Friday.
Taking swift action, a police team led by DCP Nikhil Pingale, ACP Anuja Deshmane, Sr. PI Prashant Bhasme, PI (Crime) Ajit Jadhav, and API Gaikwad visited the spot. Later that night, both Shivam Andekar and Akash Pardeshi were arrested. The case is currently being investigated by PI Ajit Jadhav (Crime).
