Man booked for extortion from landlord

Ludhiana: Shimlapuri police have booked a man for extortion from his landlord, through an anonymous letter, for the safety of his children. The accused had to pay the landlord rent of Rs14,000. The police later identified the accused — Manjit Singh (35), a factory worker of New Janta Nagar — though his handwriting. Shimlapuri police have registered a case against him under Section 384 (punishment for extortion) of the IPC on the complaint of the landlord, Sarabpreet Singh, an insurance agent from New Janta Nagar.
Sarabpreet said Manjit was living with his family in another house of his for the past two years. The rent of that house was pending for the past few months, which came to around Rs14,000. Manjit had once given his landlord a cheque of Rs14,000, but asked him not to deposit it in the bank, as his wife was pregnant and he needed the money. Later on, he took back the cheque after assuring Sarabpreet he would pay the amount soon.
The landlord added that on March 7, Manjit came to his house and handed him a yellow envelope, saying it was kept at his house entrance. After giving him the letter, Manjit left. In the letter, an unidentified person demanded Rs50,000 from him if he wanted the safety of his children. Sarabpreet immediately informed the police about it.
Investigating officer from Shimlapuri police station, ASI Gurpreet Singh, said the police identified Manjit from his handwriting in the letter. Meanwhile, Manjit fled the place, leaving his wife behind. The ASI added that Manjit and his wife were supposed to vacate the house by March 31, but before that, he had to clear the dues. Therefore, he thought of extorting the money from the landlord himself. Sarabpreet has two daughters, aged 3 and 5, but Manjit did not attempt to kidnap them.