Representative image of arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
A man was arrested on Friday allegedly for sending a letter through post to a doctor demanding Rs 20 lakh in extortion, a police officer said.
A female doctor in Barhalganj area here had on Tuesday received a registered letter demanding her to pay Rs 20 lakh.
The doctor promptly filed a complaint with police, which then launched an investigation into the matter.
Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Grover told reporters that Dr Rolly Purvar had received a letter bearing the names of two men, Khursheed and Nadeem, both residents of ward number 7 of Gola Bazar in Gorakhpur.
After her complaint, police deployed some personnel in the woman's security, he said.
During the investigation, which involved going through CCTV footage from the post office, the person who had registered the letter was identified as Keshari, a resident of Bewari in Gorakhpur district, police said.
Keshari was detained and questioned. During interrogation, Keshari revealed that an unknown man had given him Rs 22 to post the letter, along with an extra Rs 10 for tea.
On the basis of the description provided by Keshari and the CCTV footage, the unknown person was identified as Mohd Shahid Akhtar, a resident of Karimuddin area under Ghosi Police Station in Mau district.
When Shahid was questioned he told police that he had used the names of Khurshid and Nadeem – both his relatives – with an attempt to frame them.
He said his son Tariq had in 2014 married a woman, who after some time filed a police complaint against his entire family for dowry harassment, which led to a court-ordered divorce.
Soon, his son married another woman named Shabnam, police said.
However, Shabnam's aunt Shabbo and nephews Khurshid and Nadeem, continued to instigate her to stay with them, Shahid said. She has been living at her father's house for the past one and a half months, he said.
Shahid said he discovered Dr Rolly's name and number in an advertisement posted on an electric pole and got a threatening letter posted to her in the name of Khurshid and Nadeem in order to frame them.
He confessed to have given Rs 22 to an elderly person – Keshari – for mailing the letter, police said.
Shahid was captured in the footage with an Activa scooter, which has been seized, police said.