Mumbai MLA gets 'extortion' letters demanding Rs 1 cr, lodges FIR

Mumbai MLA gets 'extortion' letters demanding Rs 1 cr, lodges FIR

BJP MLA Sardar Tara Singh has registered an FIR with the Antop Hill police station after an unknown person demanded Rs 1 crore from him in an attempt at extortion.

The extortionist delivered two handwritten letters in Hindi to the MLA's Antop Hill office, threatening him with death if he did not pay up. The Antop Hill police and crime branch officials are probing the matter. The police told mid-day that two days ago, on arriving at the office, a woman staffer found a letter addressed to Singh on the floor. The woman informed Singh, who was in Patna from Sunday. Singh returned to the city on Wednesday and lodged an FIR, sources said.

"In the letter, death threats were made to Singh and Rs 1 crore was demanded," a crime branch official said.

He said the accused had instructed the MLA to drop the money off at a specific place at Kabutarkhana in Dadar on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the police were informed and a trap was laid at the place, but no one turned up. Following this, the MLA lodged an FIR.

N Ambika, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, confirmed that an offence under section 384 (extortion) has been registered against an unknown person and investigations were on.

Singh's son Ranjit told mid-day, "Initially, we thought someone was playing a prank, but when the second threat letter came we went to the police. In the second letter the accused addressed the woman staffer, saying she had not given the letter to Singh. We suspect an insider's hand in this."

Interestingly, in the letter, the person has called Singh a corporator and not MLA. Singh was a corporator a decade ago. The police are checking if CCTV cameras have captured the accused who threw the letter into the MLA's office.