Extortion bid fails, gang begs for at least Rs 1 lakh for ‘effort’

CHENNAI: A gang of seven men, who tried to extort Rs 10 lakh from a private college owner, posing as CBI officers, ended up pleading for at least Rs 1 lakh for ‘their efforts’, before being rounded up by police at Maduravoyal.

Rakesh (40), who runs a dental college in Alapakkam, was at his house in Krishna Nagar near Maduravoyal, along with a few house-helps, when seven men, including Rakesh’s old friend Ramasubramani, reached the house in a car and a two-wheeler in the wee hours of Thursday. 

“They showed him some ID cards and claimed to be CBI officers. They said they know of Rakesh’s illegal dealings and demanded Rs 10 lakh for not arresting him. When Rakesh said that he did not have so much money, the gang reduced their demand and finally pleaded for at least Rs 1 lakh,” a police officer said.

Rakesh then alerted his brother over phone on the pretext of getting money from another room. His brother alerted Maduravoyal crime inspector Ravindran. Immediately, a police team rushed to the spot. While two of the suspects managed to flee on their two-wheeler, the other five, including Ramasubramani, were nabbed. The other suspects were identified as Narendra Nath, Stalin, Yuvan and Shankar. 

Preliminary inquiry revealed that Ramasubramani had hatched the plan to rob Rakesh. All five were remanded in judicial custody, while a hunt has been launched for the absconding duo.