Severed thumb, smartwatch and a threat letter: 2 arrested, minor held for demanding Rs 5 crore from Delhi businessman
On April 18, the police apprehended the minor girl. She told police that her uncle, the key accused in the extortion case, had asked her to deliver the package
The sender had made a demand of Rs 5 crore "to feed starving people of Gaza" (Express illustration) A smartwatch, a severed thumb, and a letter with a threat — a 44-year-old garment merchant living in East Delhi’s Shahdara was shocked when he received a package with these items at his home on April 16. The sender had made a demand of Rs 5 crore “to feed starving people of Gaza”.
“Brother, you don’t know us, but we know you very well. You must know that there is a war going on in Gaza…Lakhs of our people are dying of hunger there. We have to send food to those people, for which you have to help us…You just understand that Allah has chosen you…We are giving you 10 days,” the letter read. While reporting the matter to police, the man recalled the chilling words of a young girl who delivered the letter to him: “They killed my father too.”
Scared for his life, the man filed a complaint, and an FIR was registered under sections of extortion. A police team traced the route undertaken by the girl by analysing footage from over 600 CCTV cameras.
On April 18, the police apprehended the minor girl. She told police that her uncle, the key accused in the extortion case, had asked her to deliver the package. He had told the girl to help him out of a tough financial spot he had found himself in. When the police came to arrest the girl’s uncle, he allegedly admitted that he and the victim were childhood friends.
He had earlier taken a loan of around Rs 15-20 lakh from the victim but failed to return it. He then convinced the victim to invest Rs 1.55 crore in a chain restaurant that he wanted to open, which failed miserably, said police.
Desperate for money, the accused again allegedly hatched a plan to dupe his friend. “He admitted that he had hired a few people and paid them Rs 35,000. He also took help from his niece…and a relative to execute his plan…he then bought a plastic thumb…and a smart watch. He revealed that he picked his niece up from home at about 6.30 am and made her understand the whole plan…Then, the girl visited the house of the complainant and delivered the parcel to…put the fear of death in him,” said DCP Shahdara Prashant Gautam.
The fake thumb was made to look realistic by allegedly inserting a chicken bone. It was smeared with blood and raw flesh. To make the letter more believable, he had told the victim months back how he’d received a similar threat and negotiated the ransom down to Rs 20 crore to get some “terrorists” off his back. “He hoped that his friend would come to him for help and he’d convince him to pay the money,” said DCP Gautam. The key accused told police that the victim owned garment shops and a garment factory, which made him believe that he could easily pay the money.
The thumb, the accused told police, was inspired by a Sanjay Dutt film he’d watched. He thought that he’d use the smartwatch to track the victim’s movements. “It was a pretty hare-brained plan,” admitted a police officer privy to the investigation.
The accused and his relative, who helped him, were arrested and sent to judicial custody after being produced in court, said police.
The two have been booked under BNS sections 308(5) (extortion) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy). The minor girl was sent to an observation home for girls.
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