The East division police in swift action tracked down a man and arrested him for allegedly assaulting a fish mart owner and ransacking the shop demanding protection money (hafta) from him in Banasawadi on Saturday.
Based on a viral video circulated on social media, the police tracked down the area and the shop owner, identified as Manoj, who had come from a neighbouring town and was running a fish mart. The accused, identified as Sudesh, used to harass him for money frequently.
On Saturday, Sudesh was enraged when Manoj refused to pay outright. Sudesh warned him with dire consequences and went away in a huff. On Saturday evening, he returned with a lethal weapon and tried to attack Manoj, but he escaped narrowly, following which Sudesh ransacked the shop and escaped threatening him not to file complaint and warning him that he would return.
The entire incident was recorded by a resident and put on social media, which went viral. When the police finally tracked down the shop and questioned Manoj, he refused to file a complaint, anticipating trouble. However, the police gained his confidence and asked him to file a complaint and recorded his statement before tracking down Sudesh and arresting him. He was booked under assault, criminal intimidation and attempt to robbery and taken into custody for questioning to ascertain his criminal background, Bhimashankar Guled, DCP, east division, said.