Andheri Police have arrested an 18-year-old college dropout for allegedly extorting ₹25 lakh from a collegian and then spending the money on lavish hotel stays and SUV rides across the city. Police have also arrested his aide, who helped dispose of the jewellery demanded in the extortion. Both the accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
According to police, the incident came to light recently when the victim’s parents found out that their valuables and jewellery had been missing, following which their son told them about the extortion. He said the extortion went on from 2019 to 2021, and in the process, the accused, Harsh Kamat, had extorted ₹25 lakh.
Kamat had been staying in lavish hotels for the last two-and-a-half months and partying with friends, until he was apprehended by Andheri Police on January 2. His aide, Arshad Shaikh, had helped him sell off gold worth ₹13.13 lakh. Police said that Kamat had been threatening the victim by revealing his stealing and getting him beaten up unless he paid up the hush money.
The victim had helped Kamat by stealing money from his house for the latter’s grandmother's medical bills. Kamat had then begun blackmailing him by threatening to expose him to his parents as a thief. Reportedly, his parents never checked the cupboard locker.
Kamat had been earlier booked for cheating to the tune of ₹30 lakh after he floated rumours in the locality that he had secured a contract to make hand sanitiser and masks and collected money from victims who were promised high returns.
While a case was lodged on December 30, a team nabbed Kamat from Amber Hotel in Andheri (E). Police have recovered gold valuables worth ₹13.1 lakh that he had extorted from the victim.
