Man arrested for blackmailing Andheri student

Mumbai: The Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch on Monday arrested a man for blackmailing a student from Andheri

Mumbai: The Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch on Monday arrested a man for blackmailing a student from Andheri.

For the next one month, the complainant kept seeking more time from Ukani as he did not have the resources to raise such a large amount. (Image for representation)

The extortionist has been identified as Arbaaz Ukani (27), who is the complainant’s friend.

According to AEC officers, the complainant approached them last week and narrated his ordeal. “Around a month ago, Ukani showed the complainant an intimate video of the complainant and his girlfriend. The complainant was shocked and asked Ukani how he got the video. Ukani, however, started demanding ₹5 lakh from him. The complainant said that he did not have access to that kind of money and Ukani said that was not his problem,” said a Crime Branch officer.

The officer added that the complainant tried to plead with Ukani, invoking their friendship and asking him to spare a thought for his girlfriend’s reputation. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears and Ukani said that he would post the video on every social media if the complainant failed to pay the said amount.

The desperate complainant then reached out to the AEC office in south Mumbai and lodged a complaint.

“Based on the complainant’s statement, we picked up Ukani from his residence and arrested him on Monday. He was produced in the Esplanade Court and remanded to police custody till Wednesday,” the officer said.

The officer added that investigations were still underway to ascertain how Ukani got the video. The police will analyse Ukani’s mobile phone to find how he got the video.