According to the police, the two gangsters identified as Vijay Salvi (25) alias Narsale and Narsu Dattu Patil (22) had been demanding a ransom of Rs 1 crore from the owner of Hotel Khushnud, located near Peon Chawl, Agripada.

The duo called up the manager of the hotel, Kuldeep Rawat, and left a message asking the owner to call on cellphone No 9820116205, or face dire consequences.

After being informed about the threats the police laid a trap and successfully nabbed the duo at around 4 pm on Thursday. Police recovered a single chambered shot-gun, two live rounds, a metal brake frame and a long knife from the extortionists.

Investigations revealed that both gangsters were residents of Arun Gawli's stronghold at Kanjurmarg and were key associates of top lieutenants Dilip Kulkarni and Sharad Bhandve.

However, according topolice sources Salvi and Patil had planned to break away from the Gawli gang and form a separate outfit with sharp shooter Yogesh Paradkar and slain gangsters Pandurang Madvi and Sudhir Salvi.

Salvi has been named in nearly a dozen serious crimes, including murders in the northern suburbs.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (37th court) N B Pokharkar today remanded the two gangsters to the custody of unit-II of the Crime Branch till November 13.

In another case, unit-8 of the crime branch nabbed three youths while they were planning to rob a jewellery shop at Dharavi on Thursday evening.

On a tip-off a special police squad laid a trap near Silver Palace jewellery shop at Dharavi and nabbed three youth. The three men have been identified as Rajan Shivanna Kumar (26), Rakesh Shridev Pujari (27) and Vijaysingh Suresh Singh (25). Three choppers and a knife have been recovered from the trio.

The trio have been remanded to police custody till November 6.