Man lodged in Tihar Jail held for trying to extort money

A 26-year-old man lodged in Tihar Jail was held for trying to extort money worth Rs 50 lakh from another person by allegedly threatening to kill him if he failed to pay the amount, police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Lokesh, is a member of Tillu gang, they said.

On Friday, a case was registered at the Raj Park police station on the complaint of one Sunil Goel, a resident of Sultanpuri, who stated that he received an extortion call and messages on WhatsApp from an international number wherein the accused allegedly threatened to kill him if he did not pay Rs 50 lakh, police said.

With the help of technical surveillance, the caller was traced. Hence, permission was obtained from the concerned court to interrogate the accused, they said.

During interrogation,Lokesh admitted his involvement and disclosed that he is an active member of Tillu gang, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) A Koan, said.

Lokesh told police that he made the call on the direction of his gang leader Tillu so as to carry out their criminal activities smoothly, Koan said.

He further disclosed that the mobile phone used for making extortion call was recently seized by the Tihar Jail authorities and when it was obtained, police found that it was the same handset used by the accused for making extortion call, he added.

The mobile phone used for making extortion call was also recovered, police said.

Suitable action was taken as per the law against the accused, the DCP said.