Maid firm owner held for extortion

A domestic help agency owner and an advocate were among six people arrested for allegedly extorting money from people on the pretext of settling false rape allegations levelled by maids.

A domestic help agency owner and an advocate were among six people arrested for allegedly extorting money from people on the pretext of settling false rape allegations levelled by maids.

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A bank manager approached the police claiming that a gang operating in the guise of suppliers of domestic help tried to dupe him.

Accused Monirujjaman Molla (31), manager of placement agency Royal Domestic Centre in Kotla Mubarakpur; lawyer Akash Mufazel Haq (28); Hemant Kumar Dabral (39), Hari Kishan (22) and two women were arrested on December 16.

Manoj Sood had employed a domestic help at his Malavya Nagar house on November 15 from the agency. But, claimed Sood, she was caught stealing a gold set and Rs 2,000 after some time.

Sood lodged a complaint and the placement agency owner took the maid back and promised replacement.

“Within hours, Molla called them and said the maid had been allegedly raped by Sood. She demanded Rs 5 lakh to settle the matter, failing in which she threatened to implicate Sood in a case of rape and physical torture,” said HGS Dhaliwal, deputy commissioner of police (south).

The accused met Sood’s wife and told her to come with Rs 5 lakh to the lawyer's office. Sood reported the matter to police on December 16. On the same day the maid lodged a police complaint.

The police told Sood to negotiate and laid a trap.

The accused were arrested from the lawyer’s office the next day.