India, Feb. 23 -- The Vile Parle police on Saturday have arrested a 30-year-old man from Jharkhand for allegedly posing as jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to extort money from a local jeweller.

The accused, Imtiyaz Alam Ansari, was identified as the alleged mastermind after four men were arrested earlier this week near Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Kurla, while allegedly collecting ransom.

Police said Ansari used a UK-based SIM card to send over 20 WhatsApp messages and make at least six threatening calls to Vile Parle-based jeweller Ajit Jain, 46, between February 12 and 16, demanding Rs.20 lakh. He allegedly warned of dire consequences if the money was not paid.

After Jain approached the police, the caller negotiated the ransom dow...