2 brothers land in police net for extortion

Two brothers in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh area allegedly attempted to extort money from their friend by sending him a threatening letter with two empty cartridges, the police said on Saturday.

Rohit Nagpal (35) and his brother Sagar (30) have been arrested in connection with the case, they said.

According to the police, the brothers hatched the extortion plan to repay mounting debts after suffering heavy financial losses in their business.

The main accused, Rohit, had reportedly taken a loan of Rs 80 lakh which he was unable to repay, they added.

“On May 13, Rohit Chauhan received a suspicious courier at his residence. Inside were photographs of his wife and child, two empty gun cartridges and a letter demanding a hefty sum in US dollars. The letter warned that his family would be harmed if the money was not paid,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said.

Scared by the threat, the family approached the police and a case was immediately registered.

During the investigation, the team meticulously tracked the origins of the courier and examined the materials used in the threat, the officer said.

Investigators began questioning the complainant’s close circle, including Rohit Nagpal, a long-time friend of the victim.

“On sustained questioning, Rohit confessed to being behind the extortion attempt,” Veer added.

Rohit revealed that he and his younger brother orchestrated the plan to create the illusion of a gang-linked threat, the officer said.

They sourced the empty cartridges from a gun house and gathered personal information about the victim’s family to add credibility to the threat, he said.

The brothers then used a scooter to deliver the materials and communicated using their mobile phones and laptop, all of which have been recovered, the police said.

Both have been arrested and further investigations are underway to ascertain if they were involved in any similar past incidents