Mumbai Police invoke MCOCA against Z gang

The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police has invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against 12 members of the “Z Gang,” including its’kingpin’ Zulfikar Behlim for allegedly running an organised extortion racket.

The gang allegedly operated on the lines of the infamous D-Gang of Dawood Ibrahim and extorted money from businessmen, contractors and residents in the western suburbs, officials said.

The gang members allegedly threatened victims with firearms, physically assaulted them and issued death threats, they said.  All 12 members have been arrested.

Behlim and his associates had multiple serious criminal cases registered against them at various police stations in the western suburbs, including offences related to extortion, criminal intimidation, assault and illegal use of weapons.

Following a detailed probe and after obtaining approval from the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), the Crime Branch Unit 9 invoked provisions of the MCOCA against Zulfikar Behlim, his brother Mohsin Behlim, and 10 others on August 4, officials said.

Police sources described the action as a significant blow to organised crime. Further investigations are underway to trace the gang’s financial transactions, its wider network of associates and uncover other criminal activities linked to the syndicate, police added.