“The FIR was lodged on September 14 after which the first arrest was made. The second arrest was made late Monday,” said a police officer. (Representational)The Gamdevi police have arrested two men for allegedly trying to extort Rs 10 crore from the managing director of United Church of North India Trust Association, a religious and charitable trust. Police said the accused posed as Union Home Ministry officials and demanded money for “settling a complaint accusing the trust of being involved in a Rs 10,000 crore scam”.
“The FIR was lodged on September 14 after which the first arrest was made. The second arrest was made late Monday,” said a police officer.
The complainant, Prem Masih (68), MD of the trust, in his statement said on July 21, he got a call from one ‘Udaybhan Singh’. Singh allegedly told him he was calling from the Home ministry in New Delhi. “The caller told him they have received a complaint against the trust believed to be involved in a multi-crore scam and the CBI is conducting an probe,” said an officer. Singh instructed him to come to Delhi along with original documents of the trust.
Masih told Singh that owing to Covid-19 he won’t be able to travel to Delhi. “This angered the caller. He said we are involved in a Rs 10,000 crore scam committed through a trust that doesn’t exist. I told him the trust is credible and we have all necessary documents,” Masih said.
During a phone conversation between July 21 and 24, the caller threatened to send a CBI team to arrest him if he failed to show up at their Delhi office. The caller even told him they were willing to settle the matter, police said. “I told him I wanted to settle the matter after which he demanded Rs 5 crore for the PMO and another Rs 5 crore for the CBI,” Masih said. When he stopped answering his calls, the accused even sent a man to his house and threatened Masih and his son, police said. Later when Masih learned his colleagues had received a similar extortion call from another caller, they approached Gamdevi police station and lodged a complaint. “Three more persons are wanted in the case including the mastermind,” the officer added.
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