Video: Ahmedabad shop owner attacked by 10 men over Rs 50 lakh extortion demand

A 36-year-old electronics and mobile phone trader in Ahmedabad was attacked by 10 men with sticks and a knife after he refused to pay a Rs 50 lakh extortion demand. The incident took place around 2 am on Sunday near a railway crossing and was captured on CCTV.

The victim, Kamlesh Santani, who owns a shop in the Ghodasar area and has been operating it for the last 16 years, was attacked by a group of nearly 10 men led by Jay Gadhvi and Vishal alias Ulio.

Kamlesh had gone to his shop late at night along with his friends Bhaveshdan and Arvindgiri after receiving a call from Gadhvi. He had earlier told his friends that Gadhvi was demanding Rs 50 lakh in extortion.

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As the three were conversing near the shop, three motorcycles and a four-wheeler arrived at the scene. Gadhvi and Vishal, along with unidentified accomplices carrying sticks and knives, approached the shop. Others got out of the car, also armed with sticks.

According to the FIR filed, Gadhvi rushed at Kamlesh, but Arvindgiri intervened and tried to restrain him. Meanwhile, the rest of the assailants surrounded Kamlesh and attacked him with sticks. Vishal stabbed Kamlesh on his right cheek with a knife, causing severe bleeding, and also attacked him with a cement block. Gadhvi also assaulted Kamlesh with a stick.

Kamlesh collapsed under the assault, but his friends Bhaveshdan, Arvindgiri, and shop security guard Vijay Yadav managed to rescue him. Yadav called the police control room, and officers arrived shortly. Kamlesh was rushed to a hospital by his friends.

According to the FIR, Kamlesh had prior interactions with both Jay Gadhvi and Vishal, who had visited his shop multiple times. A dispute had earlier erupted between Gadhvi and Kamlesh over the price of an air conditioner.

Kamlesh was on a North India tour with his family and was in Nainital on May 2 when he received a WhatsApp call from Gadhvi demanding Rs 50 lakh to "allow" him to continue doing business in Puneetnagar. Gadhvi reportedly threatened to destroy his shop and break his limbs if the demand was not met. He continued to call and harass Kamlesh, tracking his return to Ahmedabad.

On June 8 at around 1 am, shortly after Kamlesh returned to the city, Gadhvi called again and asked him to come to the shop. At 2 am, when Kamlesh went there after dropping off his family, the planned attack unfolded.

Based on Kamlesh's complaint, police have registered an FIR against Jay Gadhvi, Vishal alias Ulio, and six others - Arjun Singh Jadeja, Rakesh Solanki, Shubham Deshmukh, Siddhraj alias Bapu, Kunal Barapatre, Kunal Marathi, and Vihar Joshi - under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 135(1) of the Gujarat Police Act.

The police are investigating the case and are in the process of catching the accused.