Noida STF arrest two persons for extortion

The complainant said he started getting suspicious calls from numbers which appeared to have originated in the United States. The person on the other end of the line threatened to kill him if he failed to pay

Two persons were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly extorting a man for money in Greater Noida. The suspects were identified as Atul Kasana, 22, a resident of Ghaziabad, and Arun, 32, alias Master, a resident of Badalpur in Gautam Budh Nagar.

During interrogation, Arun revealed that he had promised to pay ₹5 lakh to Atul Kasana once he got money from Rajkumar. Atul Kasana is also associated with one Amit Kasana, a man with a criminal history who is presently in judicial custody, said police. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The complainant Rajkumar (known by his first name only) is a resident of Duryai village in Badalpur.

Rajkumar said that his nephew Omveer, 25, sold his property and shifted to some other area two years ago.

“Arun told me that Omveer owed him ₹24 lakh, and since Omveer had left the place, I should clear the dues,” Rajkumar said.

He added that soon he started getting suspicious calls from numbers that appeared to have originated in the United States. The person on the other end of the line threatened to kill him if he failed to pay Arun. Rajkumar said he feared for his safety and paid Arun ₹30,000 and he was unable to pay more.

Raj Kumar Mishra, additional superintendent of police, Noida Special Task Force (STF), said a case was registered against unknown persons under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at Badalpur police station on September 2.

The two persons were then arrested. During interrogation, Arun revealed that he had promised to pay ₹5 lakh to Atul Kasana once he got money from Rajkumar. Atul Kasana is also associated with one Amit Kasana, a man with a criminal history who is presently in judicial custody, said police. Atul Kasana had also sent a WhatsApp message to Rajkumar, saying they wanted the money on behalf of Amit Kasana.

The police said that Section 386 (extortion) and Section 66 D of the IT Act have been added to the FIR. “The two suspects were produced in court and sent to judicial custody,” said police.