Two held after failed extortion attempt

A 20-year-old man and his teenaged accomplice were arrested for allegedly attempting to extort R30 lakh from an east Delhi-based businessman, police said on Sunday.

A 20-year-old man and his teenaged accomplice were arrested for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 30 lakh from an east Delhi-based businessman, police said on Sunday.

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“The accused have been identified as Suraj Kumar Singh and his accomplice, Gaurav Verma, 19. They ran into a trap in Geeta Colony on Saturday evening when they visited the area to collect extortion money from Singh’s former employer, who is a garment businessman in the area,” said PS Kushwah, additional DCP (crime).

According to the police, Singh decided to extort money from him after incurring a debt in a chit fund business that he had set up with his associates.

Constantly hounded by his investors, an indebted Singh, then allegedly hatched the

plan to extort money from his former employer and promised his teenaged friend Rs 2 lakh if the plan went through, police said.

On January 3, the duo asked the complainant to pay up if he wanted his son safe. “We were in constant touch with the complainant. The duo were arrested as soon as they reached the spot,” Kushwah said.