UP STF busts extortion racket targeting entrepreneurs, 3 arrested

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday arrested three persons allegedly involved in extorting entrepreneurs in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar districts by filing false complaints against them, officials said.

The arrested suspects have been identified as Ankur Gupta (52) of Dariyaganj, Delhi, and father-son duo Narendra Dhawan and Harnam Dhawan, residents of Shastrinagar, Delhi.

Authorities seized four mobile phones, Rs 62,720 in cash, one US dollar, a fake Aadhaar card and 17 postal receipts from them.

According to the STF, the suspects targeted entrepreneurs and builders in the NCR region by filing fabricated complaints with multiple government agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Income Tax, development authorities, and Economic Offences Wing (EOW) offices.

These complaints were then publicised in print and electronic media to damage the reputation of businesspersons and coerce them into paying money to avoid harassment, the STF said in a statement.

Investigations revealed that the gang demanded ransom from builders, initially seeking Rs 15 crore, later reducing it to Rs 5 crore, of which some amount was collected while pressure was exerted for the balance.

The STF, under the supervision of Additional SP Rajkumar Mishra and SP Navendu Kumar of the Noida unit, traced the suspects to Delhi and brought them for questioning at the STF field office in Gautam Buddh Nagar on September 29.

After collecting evidence of their criminal activities, all three were arrested today, the agency said.

During questioning, Ankur Gupta admitted that he started filing false complaints after a bank loan dispute over his clothing shop in Delhi. He later roped in journalists from small media outlets and a YouTube channel to publicise such complaints, coercing entrepreneurs to pay money to protect their image.

The STF said several builders’ projects were delayed, causing financial losses to hundreds of buyers and reputational damage to the developers.

The STF registered a case against the three at Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad under Sections 308 (extortion), 351(dishonest misappropriation of property possessed by a deceased person at the time of his death), 318 (cheating), 336 (forgery) and others of the BNS.

Investigation is ongoing and details of affected victims are being collected to expand the probe, the STF said. Harnam Dhawan was previously jailed in 2021 in Delhi under an IPC 376 (rape) case, the STF added.