Kasauli man held for extorting Rs 1 crore from Delhi company

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, August 13

The Kasauli police last evening arrested a local, Jitender Kumar Chandel, for extorting over Rs 1 crore from the chairman of a Delhi-based company by allegedly issuing letters on a fake letterhead of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

He was produced before a local court today that remanded him in two-day police custody, Solan SP Gaurav Singh said.

In a complaint to the Kasauli police in March, Aman Mehta and Kashmiri Lal of Delhi-based Giverney Inovex Private Limited had stated more than Rs 1 crore had been extorted from them by a firm, which produced fake letters issued on the official letterhead of the PMO.

It was found that Kasauli resident Jitender Kumar Chandel was involved in the fraud and he had issued the fake letters by putting signatures of the PMO officials.

Chandel was working for a firm, which was entrusted with the task of obtaining some contract from the PMO. Instead of pursuing that assignment, he produced fake letters and exhorted money from the complainants.

During the investigation, it was found that no such letters had been issued to the said company from the PMO.

A case was registered against Chandel under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 of the IPC for cheating and forgery in Kasauli on March 21.

On examining the mobile phone, computer and other documents of Chandel, it was found that he used to impersonate as Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax Department. He corresponded with various departments and banks through e-mail and other means with the intention of duping them by giving false identity of Deputy Commissioner, Income Tax Department.

The police probe also revealed that he had prepared fake documents in the name of PMO and had extorted lakhs from Kashmiri Lal, chairman of the said company.

Con job busted

• Accused issued letters to firm chairman on fake PMO letterhead
• During investigation, it was found that no such letters were issued to the said company from the PMO
• He was produced before a local court today, which remanded him in two-day police custody