Mangalore: Many builders and businesspersons based in the city and around have been receiving phone calls from underworld dons over the past years, demanding hefty hafta (money to ensure safety and protection).
In modern times, the calls are usually made through computers from abroad or from the within the country, but the caller ID displays could be quite unclear and misleading.
This has made the investigation job quite difficult. Besides, the callers drop the names of some notorious underworld dons and claim to be calling on behalf of them. The police find it hard to even verify if indeed any don’s hand is involved in the act.
M Venkatesh Pai, an architect and entrepreneur based in the city, has filed a complaint at the Kadri police station regarding demands for hafta received over phone between November 2014 and Jan 4, 2015.
He has stated that the calls were made on Nov 12, Dec 10, Dec 26 and Jan 4. All calls were made between 6 pm and 8 pm and the name of Bannanje Raja was mentioned, he has said.
