echarcha
July 31st, 2001, 09:20 AM
MUMBAI: The north-west branch of anti-corruption cell of the Mumbai police arrested a 24-year-old youth posing as a Abu Salem gangster for allegedly demanding money from film actress Manisha Koirala and a businessman related to the film industry.
A relieved Ms Koirala told this newspaper that she was "glad that the person who had been demanding extortion money was finally caught by the police. But I hope this is not the beginning of the problem ."
According to the police, the accused, Narendra Kohad alias Vikram made threatening calls, demanding an extortion amount of Rs 20 lakhs, from a businessman related to the film industry. He later approached the police for help. The police did not identify the businessman for "security reasons."
However, they stated that Manisha was the other person targetted by the extortionist. She has not been provided security cover.
Around the same time, the accused made similar threatening calls to Ms Koirala. "A person claiming to be Vikram called up Ms Koirala's secretary and demanded an extortion amount of Rs 50 lakhs. Later, he called up the actress who reportedly refused to pay her `hard-earned' money to a gansgter and demanded to speak to Abu Salem. Ms Koirala then approached the police with a complaint,"joint commissioner of police (crime) Bhujangrao Mohite told mediapersons on Monday.
The police soon made the connecting link between the caller of the two victims__Vikram was the same person who made threatening calls to Ms Koirala and the businessman.
Then, acting on the police's instructions, the businessman, "agreed" to pay up the extortion amount to the accused. He was instructed to put the money in a black briefcase which was to be placed on seat no 25 of the military compartment of Punjab Mail which was scheduled to leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at 7.10 p.m. on July 28.
On the given day, sleuths from the anti-corruption cell laid a trap for the accused on platform no 9. One of them waited near the military compartment with the briefcase containing money. "When the Punjab Mail started leaving the platform, a person clad in maroon shirt and khakhi pant approached the policeman and confirmed whether he was sent by the businessman. On receiving an affirmative reply, he snatched the briefcase and moved towards the running train. However, he was nabbed by the policemen present on the railway platform."
According to the police, the accused, an umemployed commerce graduate from Haryana came to Mumbai in the first week of July. "He read newspaper reports about Ms Koirala's former secretary Ajit Dewani who was gunned down by Abu Salem gangsters. He decided to cash on this fear psychosis prevailing in the film industry.
So he bought a Rubeena film directory and randomly picked up the names of the businessman and Ms Koirala and started making threatening calls to them,"Mr Mohite said, adding, that at least 50 per cent of the extortion calls purportedly made by the gangsters are actually made by first-timers.
The police has already provided protection to at least 15 film personalities , including Govinda, Shabana Azmi, Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra, among others.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=620694258
A relieved Ms Koirala told this newspaper that she was "glad that the person who had been demanding extortion money was finally caught by the police. But I hope this is not the beginning of the problem ."
According to the police, the accused, Narendra Kohad alias Vikram made threatening calls, demanding an extortion amount of Rs 20 lakhs, from a businessman related to the film industry. He later approached the police for help. The police did not identify the businessman for "security reasons."
However, they stated that Manisha was the other person targetted by the extortionist. She has not been provided security cover.
Around the same time, the accused made similar threatening calls to Ms Koirala. "A person claiming to be Vikram called up Ms Koirala's secretary and demanded an extortion amount of Rs 50 lakhs. Later, he called up the actress who reportedly refused to pay her `hard-earned' money to a gansgter and demanded to speak to Abu Salem. Ms Koirala then approached the police with a complaint,"joint commissioner of police (crime) Bhujangrao Mohite told mediapersons on Monday.
The police soon made the connecting link between the caller of the two victims__Vikram was the same person who made threatening calls to Ms Koirala and the businessman.
Then, acting on the police's instructions, the businessman, "agreed" to pay up the extortion amount to the accused. He was instructed to put the money in a black briefcase which was to be placed on seat no 25 of the military compartment of Punjab Mail which was scheduled to leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at 7.10 p.m. on July 28.
On the given day, sleuths from the anti-corruption cell laid a trap for the accused on platform no 9. One of them waited near the military compartment with the briefcase containing money. "When the Punjab Mail started leaving the platform, a person clad in maroon shirt and khakhi pant approached the policeman and confirmed whether he was sent by the businessman. On receiving an affirmative reply, he snatched the briefcase and moved towards the running train. However, he was nabbed by the policemen present on the railway platform."
According to the police, the accused, an umemployed commerce graduate from Haryana came to Mumbai in the first week of July. "He read newspaper reports about Ms Koirala's former secretary Ajit Dewani who was gunned down by Abu Salem gangsters. He decided to cash on this fear psychosis prevailing in the film industry.
So he bought a Rubeena film directory and randomly picked up the names of the businessman and Ms Koirala and started making threatening calls to them,"Mr Mohite said, adding, that at least 50 per cent of the extortion calls purportedly made by the gangsters are actually made by first-timers.
The police has already provided protection to at least 15 film personalities , including Govinda, Shabana Azmi, Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra, among others.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=620694258