This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The gangland widow Roberta Williams has been arrested on allegations of kidnapping and extortion as police raided five properties across Melbourne.

The 50-year-old widow of the notorious crime boss Carl Williams was arrested at her Strathmore home while two Greensborough men aged 24 and 27 and a 24-year-old Craigieburn man were also arrested, Victoria police confirmed on Wednesday.

“This investigation centres on allegations of false imprisonment and extortion with threats to kill,” Victoria police said. “As the investigation is ongoing we’re not in a position to comment further.”

Lawyer X case: Australian criminals line up to appeal convictions Read more

It has been reported that the allegations are connected to Williams’ reality show she was filming with her daughter Dhakota, whose father was the slain drug lord and convicted murderer Carl Williams.

Footage aired on Nine’s Today program shows Williams being marched out of a home in handcuffs and swearing at reporters.

Williams and her teenage daughter had made a public plea for cash to fund their show dubbed “a mixture of Mob-Wives meets Keeping Up With The Kardashians”.

“We will also be airing the truth regarding the Lawyer X scandal, as well as showing the world just how corrupt certain Victorian police departments are,” the GoFundMe page reads.

Only $865 of the $50,000 target has been raised.

Carl Williams was bashed to death in Barwon Prison in 2010 while serving time for killing fellow underworld figures Jason and Lewis Moran and Michael Marshall.

The Lawyer X scandal involving gangland lawyer Nicola Gobbo who turned into a police informant on her clients is the now the subject of an ongoing royal commission.