Doctor's Audi vandalised after refusing to pay extortion fee

The doctor had parked her outside her house when the incident happened. Representation pic

A Doctor from the Asian Heart Institute in Bandra Kurla Complex has accused two individuals of demanding extortion money to park a car on the road in the Powai area. She also claimed that when she refused to pay, her car, an Audi, was vandalised. A complaint was filed with Powai police, following which the Powai police registered an FIR against the two accused.

The complainant Dr Asifa Sheikh, 30, resides with her mother and siblings in the Filter Pada area of Powai. On January 27, around 8.30 pm, she returned home and parked her red Audi car on the public road outside her house. According to her complaint, as she was heading home, two local residents, Shiroz Khan and Salman Saha, approached her. They allegedly told her, "You don't know who we are. This place is under our control. If you want to park here, you'll have to pay us Rs 5,000 every month."

However, since they appeared to be goons, the doctor ignored them. The two men then allegedly pulled out something from their waist and began threatening loudly, "Anyone who parks their car here without paying will have their car broken, and if anyone intervenes, we will kill them."

Upon hearing this, local residents got scared and fled the area. Later, at around 10.30 pm, when the doctor went outside, she noticed the front window and side frame of her car were damaged. After inquiring locally, she learned that Shiroz and Salman were responsible for the damage. The damages to the car amounted to approximately Rs 2 lakh. She then filed a complaint with the Powai police.

Speaking to mid-day, Senior Inspector Jitendra Sonawane of Powai police station said, "We have registered an FIR against two people. We are checking CCTV cameras to identify the accused and will take action accordingly." This reporter reached out to Dr Sheikh, but she didn't respond to calls and messages.