India, Sept. 30 -- A special court in Pune on Tuesday acquitted absconding gangster Nilesh Ghaywal and five others in a 2020 extortion case after the complainant and key prosecution witnesses turned hostile during trial.

Ghaywal is currently hiding abroad and facing separate charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) over a September 2025 firing incident.

The other accused include Santosh Dhumal, Musa Sheikh, Akshay Gogawale, Kunal Kandhare and Vipul Majhire.

According to the prosecution, the alleged extortion demand was made in 2020 when Ghaywal was in prison in connection with another case. Dhumal had allegedly demanded a jeep from the complainant for a rally.

The Pune Crime Branch took over the investigati...