Anoushka’s alleged blackmailer denied bail

“The allegations against the accused appear to be of grave in nature. In view of this,I am not inclined to admit the accused on bail at this stage,” the judge said.

The court also referred to the allegations of the police that during the investigation,one Airtel number allegedly used for the purpose was found to be subscribed in his name. In his plea,Khan,arrested from Mumbai by Delhi Police’s Special Cell on September 14,claimed he belonged to a respectable family and had been implicated in the case. The accused said he was a sub-dealer in a share trading firm.

Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar,on the other hand,had opposed the bail alleging the accused had demanded USD 1,22,000 from Shankar,who is residing in the USA,on the basis of her private pictures retrieved after hacking her emails.

A senior Home Ministry official had shot off a letter to the Delhi Police on August eight on a complaint forwarded to him by Pt Ravi Shankar stating his daughter was being harassed and blackmailed on the material stolen from her emails and lap-top. She was being asked huge money in return for the pictures,Shankar complained. Anoushka too had sent a complaint to the Delhi Police on September one from the USA following the threats.

According to the police,Khan had sent threatening emails to Anoushka after creating an email in the name of anoushka.soni@gail.com on her personal and official IDs. She said some material,including her pictures,were stolen from her laptop which she had given it to a South Delhi-based service centre on February eight last year.

The police alleged Khan had first sent threatening emails from the UAE and then from Mumbai. He was nailed after the police found that the phone number allegedly used for the purpose had been registered in Khan’s name. Khan has been booked under the IPC provisions relating to extortion,theft and others and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act pertaining to hacking of computer.