KOLKATA: On a day when Bidhannagar police arrested Trinamool councillor Anindya Chatterjee for allegedly extorting money from Salt Lake residents, two new cases of extortion in Kolkata — both finding a mention at the
Calcutta high court
— have come as a major challenge for
Kolkata Police
. Acting on the order of the high court, the police have tasked the detective department to solve both the cases. Instructions have now come directly from the top to rein in extortionists.
According to police, the first case has been reported from the Cossipore area. Transporter Mohammad Akhtar had claimed that two local extortionists including Manoj Shukla, accused of multiple extortions, was demanding Rs 5 lakh from him to continue his business. He said that the north division police was approached but nothing happened. Akhtar said he was forced to move the high court asking for a CID probe. The high court then directed the detective department to probe this case.
The other extortion and threat case pertains to the Canal East Road. The high court, in an earlier order, had asked the police and civic authorities to demolish certain illegal construction carried out by a builders’ syndicate in the area. However, the police and the authorities failed to remove these structures. Now, the court has received a letter that is signed by one Pappu Singh who “warns” of “Banglesh-type” attack on the court premises if court gives further orders on these structures. Joint CP (crime) Vishal Garg has been asked to lead this probe.
Both developments come at a time when the administration is hardening its stance against extortion, Chatterjee’s arrest being a prime indicator. In all, cops have registered around a dozen extortion cases this year. Comparative figures, claim detective department sources, show there were around five such cases in the first six months last year. Police say the victims are always established businessmen residing in south or southeast Kolkata or Salt Lake with business establishments in central Kolkata like Posta and Burrabazar.
The latest example in this regard has been Naved Alam (28), a resident of Topsia who was an AC mechanic but ended up demanding Rs 10 lakh extortion money from a businessman of Allenby Road near Elgin Road under Bhowanipore police station area. Police arrested Alam only to be told he needed money and thought that the businessman — whose house he had visited three years ago — was the perfect choice. He was arrested from Minto Park area after setting up a trap.
A day later, it was the Bidhannagar police that arrested Ramprakash Turi, a mastermind who stolen ATM PIN numbers and extorted money. Police say he is an old hand in such crimes and had been arrested on earlier occassions.
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