Ahmedabad: A 36-year-old electronics and mobile phone shop owner in the city was brutally assaulted by a group of men in the early hours of Sunday after he refused to pay an extortion demand of ₹50 lakh.

The victim, Kamlesh Santani, who has been running his shop for 16 years, filed a complaint with the Vatva GIDC police, naming nine individuals—some of them known to him—as being involved in the attack. The incident took place around 2 am near the Punitnagar crossing.

In his complaint, Santani stated that Jay Gadhvi, one of the accused, had earlier visited his store, Radhe Mobile, to purchase an air conditioner. An argument broke out over pricing, during which Gadhvi allegedly threatened to “teach him a lesson.” Later, while Santani was vacationing with his family in Nainital on June 2, he reportedly received a WhatsApp call from Gadhvi demanding ₹50 lakh in exchange for allowing him to continue running his business. When Santani refused, Gadhvi allegedly threatened to destroy his shop and break his limbs.

Upon returning to Ahmedabad around 1 am on Sunday, Santani called Gadhvi and agreed to meet him. He arrived at his shop around 2 am, accompanied by his friend Bhaveshdan Gadhvi. Another friend, Arvindgiri, soon joined them.

As they stood outside, three motorcycles and a four-wheeler arrived. Gadhvi, along with an associate identified as Vishal alias Ulio and several others, approached the shop armed with sticks and knives. Others got out of the car carrying similar weapons.

Gadhvi allegedly struck Santani with a stick, while Vishal slashed him on the cheek with a knife. The rest of the group reportedly beat him on his legs, arms, and back. In the scuffle, Santani’s gold chain and mobile phone were damaged.

His friends and the shop’s security guard, Vijay Yadav, managed to intervene and took him to LG Hospital in Maninagar. He was later shifted to a private hospital. Santani sustained a fractured left arm and deep cuts on his cheek.

Based on Kamlesh’s complaint, police have booked Jay Gadhvi, Vishal alias Ulio, and others under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Gujarat Police Act. The charges include attempted murder, extortion, and unlawful assembly. Investigations are currently underway to trace and arrest the accused. DeshGujarat