Nine persons, allegedly belonging to the Ravi Pujari gang, were arrested for making phone calls to extort money from prominent city-based builders, police said on Friday.

A Central Crime Branch (CCB) team of the city police had investigated the case, following complaints registered at various police stations, including those in Cubbon Park and Ulsoor.

Police identified the accused persons as Kaviraj (32), Mohan (27), Shiva (33), Ibrahim (37), Mahesh (26), Santosh (31), Pradeep (28), Azad (32) and Udaya Kumara Hegde (45). While Santhosh hailed from Mangalore, Azad was from Uttar Pradesh.

The accused persons had called up builders on behalf of Ravi Pujari, currently based in Morocco, the police said. They used to threaten builders in Bangalore with if they failed to meet their demands.

A special team was formed to nab the culprits, who were murder suspects out on bail.

Santosh Kumar RB/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication