A young property consultant has been arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for allegedly extorting Rs.5 lakh from a building owner in conspiracy with his father by threatening to lodge a complaint against the victim alleging unauthorised construction.
The arrest followed investigations conducted on the direction of a city court after the complainant submitted two audio-visual clips revealing that the accused and his father had demanded money from him. Sanjeev Chaudhary (31), a resident of Hauz Khas, had moved a plea in a city court against the alleged unauthorised construction carried out by one Amit Jain.
“Both clips were sent to the forensic science laboratory and the experts opined that no alterations had been made,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia.
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Mr. Jain, in his complaint, said he had started some construction work on his plot in Yusuf Sarai when Sanjeev contacted him and demanded Rs.25 lakh, failing which Sanjeev threatened to lodge a complaint regarding unauthorised construction with the civic body and get Mr. Jain’s building demolished. Sanjeev also threatened to get the matter reported in the media. Mr. Jain initially ignored the threat, but Sanjeev kept issuing threats and then lodged a complaint with the Municipal Corporation, which demolished the building.
“Despite that, Sanjeev continued to threaten the complainant to fulfil his demands. Mr. Jain paid him Rs.5 lakh in January, but Sanjeev demanded more money.”
When Mr. Jain requested Sanjeev to spare him, the latter asked him to meet his father Harpal Singh to settle the matter. On April 7, the accused called him on his mobile phone to inform him that a news television report on his building was being aired. Mr. Jain met Harpal and recorded the entire conversation between them.
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