Overview
- The women were detained while accepting a first cash instalment, with reports differing on whether Rs 1 crore or Rs 1.5 crore was seized.
- Police say an initial demand of Rs 10–10.5 crore was negotiated down to Rs 5.5 crore to withdraw a threat to falsely implicate a businessman’s son in a molestation case.
- The chain of events began with a dispute at an Andheri West celebration on November 14, followed by a molestation complaint lodged at Amboli Police Station on November 23.
- One accused is described by police as a small-time Marathi artist, and the two arrested were identified as Hemlata Aditya Patkar alias Hemlata Bane, 39, and Amrina Iqbal Zaveri alias Amrina Mathew Fernandes, 33.
- A court remanded both to police custody until Saturday, an associate named Utkarsh remains at large, and an FIR citing conspiracy, intimidation, blackmail and extortion was registered at N. M. Joshi Marg Police Station.