Delhi man held for making extortion call to jeweller from Pakistani number

New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) A man in north Delhi was arrested for allegedly posing as a member of Randeep Bhati gang and making an extortion call to a jeweller from a Pakistani number, said an official on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar, 30.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Northeast, S.K. Sain, a complaint was received on December 31 at Bhajanpura police station in which the complainant, a local jeweller, alleged that a person called him over the phone from a Pakistani number and disclosed himself as Tarun Bhati from Randeep Bhati gang.

"He demanded Rs. 1.5 lakh as extortion money and threatened to kill the jeweller if the money was not arranged. The complainant also provided recordings of the threat which appeared to be serious. Accordingly, a case under Sections 387 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code was registered and the investigation was taken up," he said.

"Police team was formed but the main challenge was that the mobile number used for the threat was from Pakistan and the IP address was of Philadelphia, US.

"Then efforts were made to trace the details of mobile phones and IP addresses through various telecom and internet operators, both national and international. In that process details of more than 50 suspected mobile numbers were analysed. After analysis of different numbers, the police team zeroed-in on a person residing in Ghonda, in north Delhi," the DCP said.

"The information was further developed through local informers, raids were conducted at different places and the accused Ajay Kumar was apprehended from his house," said the official.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to his crime and disclosed that in 2019, he sold his house, invested the sale proceeds of around Rs 27 lakh in the share market but lost almost all the money and was going through financial hardships.

In July 2022, he approached his neighbouring jeweller (complainant), got released his jewellery from Muthoot Finance and sold the same to the complainant. It is at this time he got the idea to threaten the complainant and to make some easy money.

"He arranged fake numbers through anonymous persons on Facebook. The mobile phone used in the commission of the crime has been seized," the official said, adding further probe is going on.