Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Two More Arrested in Mumbai Z Gang Extortion Case
Mumbai police arrested two more people in a case involving an alleged group called the Z gang.
The arrests brought the total number of people held in the case to 17.
Police say the group demanded Rs 25 lakh from a builder and threatened him.
They also allege that members frightened businesspeople, contractors and residents in Mumbai’s western suburbs.
Sikandar Cheemu was caught on a train near Panvel while returning from Kerala.
Firoz Khan was arrested in Dharavi.
Police say the group used threats, weapons and assaults in some alleged crimes.
A strict law called MCOCA has been used in the case.
Investigators are checking the suspects’ roles, financial transactions and links to other people.
Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 arrested Sikandar Chimu, also reported as Cheemu, and Firoz Khan, also known as Feeroz Khan or Sahil Bantai.
The arrests brought the number of people held in the alleged Z gang case to 17, including Zulfikar Behlim and his brother Mohsin Behlim.
Police allege the gang demanded Rs 25 lakh from a Mumbai builder in July and threatened to kill him.
Cheemu was arrested on a long-distance train at Panvel while returning from Kerala; Khan was arrested in Dharavi.
The Crime Branch invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against the alleged gang members and is investigating their links and finances.
- Who
- Mumbai Crime Branch, Sikandar Chimu or Cheemu, Firoz or Feeroz Khan alias Sahil Bantai, alleged gang leader Zulfikar Behlim, his brother Mohsin Behlim and other alleged Z gang members.
- What
- Two more people were arrested in an alleged Z gang extortion case, bringing the total number held to 17.
- When
- The arrests were reported on September 2, 2026; police allege the demand from a Mumbai builder occurred in July 2026.
- Where
- The case concerns Mumbai’s western suburbs; Cheemu was arrested on a train at Panvel and Khan in Dharavi.
- Why
- Police allege the gang extorted money through intimidation, assaults, weapons and death threats, including a Rs 25 lakh demand from a builder.
- Total people held
- 17
- Latest arrests
- Sikandar Chimu, also reported as Cheemu, and Firoz Khan, also known as Feeroz Khan alias Sahil Bantai
- Alleged extortion demand
- Rs 25 lakh sought from a Mumbai-based builder in July
- Cheemu’s arrest
- On a long-distance train at Panvel while returning to Mumbai from Kerala
- Khan’s arrest
- Dharavi, central Mumbai
- Law invoked
- Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA)
- Earlier case involving Cheemu
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence arrested him in 2020 in an alleged case involving about Rs 20 crore worth of mephedrone trafficking
