Mumbai Police arrests seven alleged Mathadi union workers for assaulting a man; MCOCA case registered, four wanted

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Mumbai Police recently arrested seven men allegedly involved in an organized gang called the Mathadi Employees Union Group for allegedly attacking a 27-year-old man with wooden sticks in an attempt to kill him during an extortion attempt in the MIDC-Andheri area, police said on Thursday (September 3, 2026). Police have invoked the Maharashtra Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) against the gang.

The case was registered on August 17, 2026 at the MIDC police station under Sections 109 paragraph 1, 189 paragraph 1, 189 paragraph 2, 190, 191 paragraph 2, 118 paragraph 2, 352, 308 paragraph 4 and 61 paragraph 1 letter The police subsequently invoked Section 3(1)(ii), Section 3(2) and Section 3(4) of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act, 1999 with the prior approval of the relevant authority.

The seven accused – Puran Arun Singh alias Chadda, 39; Rohit Madhukar Salunkhe, 27; Imran Basudidan Havaldar, 37; Suresh Gulabchand Goud alias Kisan, 30; Akash Mansingh Singh alias Nepal, 30; Rajkumar Selvan Munnuswamy alias Lala; and Arjun Muniyaan Muttu alias Daku (37) were arrested. Four others, including alleged gang leader Kannana Chinnadurai Vanniyar alias Bada Kanna, are wanted.

According to Police Inspector Manojkumar Mane, the accused allegedly conspired to extort money in the name of the Mathadi Employees’ Union and assaulted 27-year-old Nadim Nasrudin Sheikh, who belonged to another faction of the Mathadi Employees’ Union. “Each union faction in Mumbai deals with several different areas. Mr. Sheikh belonged to another union group that was hired to renovate a 7,700 square feet office. But Singh and his gang did not allow the work to go ahead, saying the office fell under their area and demanded payment,” Mr. Mane said.

According to the police, they allegedly beat him on the head and leg with wooden sticks with the intention of killing him.

Police said the arrested and wanted accused were allegedly operating as an organized gang under the name Mathadi Workers Group. Vanniyar, who is currently wanted, has been identified by the police as the alleged leader of the gang.

Police also alleged that Vanniyar and other gang members used violence, threats and intimidation to consolidate their dominance and extort money from industrialists, construction professionals and businessmen. The gang would allegedly stop vehicles and demand ‘Varai’ or protection money despite not doing Mathadi work, and in some cases would allegedly attack victims with swords, knives and other weapons.

Police said the alleged activities were carried out for the gang’s financial benefit and to maintain its dominance in the area. The arrested and wanted accused were previously charged in several cases involving crimes such as attempted murder, extortion and causing grievous hurt, according to police.

Further investigations are underway into the alleged activities of the gang, its financial operations and the involvement of the wanted accused, police said.

The Mathadi Workers Union, founded by former BJP MP Annadaheb Patil in 1966, represents front-end loaders and manual workers in Maharashtra, India, engaged in loading, unloading and stacking of goods. The creation of these unions across Maharashtra led to the Maharashtra Mathadi Act of 1969, which introduced government-regulated councils, fixed wages and social security to protect workers from exploitation.

Published – 05 Sep 2026 11:13 IST