Former TMC minister gets ₹20 lakh extortion call; Man arrested from Malda
During interrogation, the accused told the police that he was a land broker and wanted to earn quick money to repay his debts
Kolkata: A man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly making an extortion call to Englishbazar municipality chairman and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury in West Bengal’s Malda district and demanding ₹20 lakh, police said.
The accused, Sahadat Sk, also a resident of Englishbazar, identified himself as Pradeep, a member of the D Company (an organised crime syndicate headed by gangster Dawood Ibrahim), while demanding ₹20 lakh from Chowdhury on Friday morning. He also threatened to shoot Chowdhury and his family if the demand was not met.
During interrogation, he told the police that he was a land broker and wanted to earn quick money to repay his debts.
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“We detained five people from Kaliachak and Englishbazar. Sahadat Sk sent the message and made the calls to Chowdhury. He has confessed to his crime,” said a senior police officer.
Chowdhury said that at 10.40 am, he received a call from the accused, who spoke in Hindi and demanded ₹20 lakh. “The accused said he is from the D Company and also sent me a text message, which I informed the police,” he said.
Police said that Sahadat procured a new SIM card from one of his associates and went to Kolkata to make calls and send messages. He later returned to Malda.
