India, Aug. 6 -- The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police has invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against 12 members of the "Z Gang," including its'kingpin' Zulfikar Behlim for allegedly running an organised extortion racket.

The gang allegedly operated on the lines of the infamous D-Gang of Dawood Ibrahim and extorted money from businessmen, contractors and residents in the western suburbs, officials said.

The gang members allegedly threatened victims with firearms, physically assaulted them and issued death threats, they said. All 12 members have been arrested.

Behlim and his associates had multiple serious criminal cases registered against them at various police stations in the western suburbs, includin...