Three criminals, who called through a remote android app and demanded Rs 25 lakh from a garment shop owner in Delhi, were arrested after a massive hunt, a police official said on Thursday.
The official said that the mastermind behind the extortion, Vikash alias Vicky, who was also wanted in a dacoity case in Haryana and a reward of Rs one lakh was also declared on information leading to his arrest, was nabbed by Haryana police.
The accused were identified as Sadab (30) and his associate, Ashfaq (36), both residents of Maujpur.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said that on November 25, a call was received at Jafrabad police station regarding a video call to the victim’s mobile phone demanding Rs 25 lakh.
Immediately, a police team reached the spot. The complainant Nasir Ali said that he runs a garment shop and on November 25 at about 10.30 p.m., he received a video call on his mobile phone from an unknown number.
“The unknown caller showed him a pistol and asked him to pay Rs 25 lakh in lieu of his life. The caller further threatened him that he would be shot down the next morning if his demands were not fulfilled,” said the DCP.
During the investigation, the team mounted technical surveillance and scanned/analysed CCTV footages of the cameras installed in the vicinity.
“Information was also gathered from locally deployed sources. The number from which the extortion call was received belonged to Canada. The call was made through a remote android app for calling,” said the DCP.
On detailed scanning of CCTV footages, the team noticed a Hyundai i-20 car without a number plate with four occupants, parked near the shop of the complainant prior to the day of the extortion call. The route of the car was trailed through connecting the CCTV footages, and two suspected persons were found disembarking from the car near Ghonda Chowk, Maujpur.
“The team persisted with their efforts, and multiple raids were conducted at their possible hideouts. On the basis of information gathered through local sources and technical surveillance, the suspects were nabbed by the team,” said the DCP.
During interrogation, they admitted to their involvement in the crime. They disclosed that accused Sadab runs a factory of ironing garments in bulk, and accused Ashfaq is his employee.
They further revealed that they were in contact with a person namely, Vikash.
“He was also nabbed by Haryana Police. The accused made the extortion call through a remote android app for calling through a mobile phone,” said the DCP, adding that the caller can change or generate his mobile number to appear from some other region/country of the world.
During sustained interrogation, they revealed that they were asked by accused Vikash to find a soft target in their area for extortion.
“They informed him about the victim Nasir Ali. On November 24, they accompanied accused Vikash in his car and showed him the victim’s garments shop. They conspired together to earn money through extortion,” said the DCP.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)
