Patna: Police have arrested the main accused and detained a juvenile in connection with an extortion case in which Rs 25 lakh was allegedly demanded from a retired Mizoram police officer, along with threats to kidnap and kill his grandson.Addressing a press conference at Nadi police station on Thursday, Fatuha SDPO-I Awadhesh Kumar said the victim, Shivchandra Rai, a resident of Jethuli village under the Nadi police station area in Patna, retired from the Mizoram Police about a month ago and received nearly Rs 1 crore in retirement benefits.According to police, the accused demanded Rs 25 lakh from the retirement amount and warned of serious consequences if the money was not paid. On June 22 and again on July 1, threatening WhatsApp messages and phone calls were allegedly made to Rai’s son, Rajan Kumar.The callers threatened to kidnap Rai’s school-going grandson if the extortion money was not paid within the stipulated time. They also warned that the child would be killed and a ransom of Rs 50 lakh demanded later.Based on the family’s complaint, Nadi police registered an FIR on July 1 under relevant sections of law and formed a special investigation team led by the station house officer.“Using technical surveillance and human intelligence, police traced the cellphone and SIM card allegedly used to make the extortion calls and messages. During the operation, the main accused, Sanjeev Kumar Rai (39), a resident of Jethuli village, was arrested. The cellphone and SIM card were also recovered. A juvenile found involved in the case has been detained,” Kumar said.Police said the investigation is underway to determine whether the accused had links to a larger extortion network or if others were involved in planning the crime.
