Two youths held for extortion-cum-death threats to Mukesh Ambani

THE Mumbai Police have nabbed two youths – one from Gujarat and another from Telangana for sending a chain of extortion-cum-death threat emails to Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani last week, officials said in Mumbai on Saturday.

They have been identified as one Shadab Khan (21) from Gujarat, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, and Ganesh Vanaparthi (19) from Telangana, who was nabbed by the Gamdevi Police Station, after discreet investigations.

The two accused have been charged with sending at least five emails in the past week making extortion demands ranging from Rs 20 crore which went up gradually to Rs 200 crore, Rs 400 crore and Rs 500 crore, with a threat of death if not paid, sparking concerns in corporate and political circles.

Deploying tech intel, the Gamdevi Police managed to trace Vanaparthi through the IP address of his computer and rushed a team to the location in Warangal where he was detained after the police found evidence of the email he had shot off to the industrialist.

The Gujarat youth who first demanded Rs 20 crore warned Ambani that if he failed to cough out the amount, he would be killed by the best shooters he had in the country, and sent at least three more emails in the past week.

The duo has been booked under various sections of the IPC pertaining to extortion attempts, issuing death threats, criminal intimidation and others, and further investigations are under way, said the officials.