The Hindu : New Delhi News : Businessman held for extortion bid

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 01, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Businessman held for extortion bid

Staff Reporter

The accused was threatening an exporter to shell out Rs 2.2 crores in protection money

NEW DELHI: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi police has arrested a businessman on the charge of extortion. The accused, Nasim Khan, was allegedly threatening a Delhi-based exporter of brass handicrafts through e-mails to shell out Rs 2.2 crores in protection money by posing as a member of "Dubai-based Halala Group". Investigations also revealed that the accused was a business partner of the exporter and wanted to basically harass him as he felt jealous of his success.

The businessman had lodged a complaint with the Lajpat Nagar police in January and the case was subsequently investigated by the EOW.

The police managed to trace the origin of the threat mails, which were being sent from various places like Noida, Agra and even Dehra Dun, and track the movement of the suspect.

It also appeared that the sender of the mails -- in which Rs. 2.2 crores was demanded on the "basis of a proper assessment" of the victim's financial capabilities -- knew well about export of brass handicrafts. As such, the police suspected that the he would also participate in a brass handicrafts exposition at Greater Noida in February.

In the meantime, the police began corresponding with the suspect through e-mail, which helped them keep track of his movements. Finally, a team rounded up Nasim Khan, a resident of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, from a cyber café in Greater Noida on February 22.

He was then remanded to five-day police custody by a Noida court.

During interrogation, Nasim allegedly told the police that he was jealous of the success of the Delhi-based exporter and began sending him mails to divert his attention from the business.

The police added that Nasim had sent e-mails in December also but the victim had not paid much heed to them dismissing them to be an act of some prankster.

But when he began receiving mails in which the sender would claim that he knew where his children were studying, he decided to inform the police.

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