Kolkata ex-mayor Firhad Hakim’s aide Shams Iqbal arrested in Rs 70-lakh extortion case

“The FIR details that since June 2023, the accused acted in furtherance of a common intention to extort Rs 70 lakh from the complainant. They intentionally placed the victim and his family members under an immediate fear of death to coerce payments so his business could operate peacefully in the locality,” a senior police officer said.

The police further said that after successfully pocketing the initial Rs 70 lakh, the gang escalated their demands. When Shadab resisted, the accused allegedly brandished revolvers, threatening him and his family with dire consequences.

The Garden Reach police charged Iqbal and his co-conspirators for extortion, criminal intimidation, common intention and use of unregistered firearms under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act.

Iqbal’s arrest also follows a police complaint lodged against him, former mayor Hakim, and others related to the Taratala warehouse collapse that led to 16 deaths.

The complaint, filed by the Bharatiya Janata Mazdoor Cell (BJMC), which is affiliated with the ruling BJP, alleged that repeated collapses of illegal buildings and warehouses in the Kolkata Port area had led to deaths. It claimed that these structures were allowed to remain despite posing significant risks to public safety.