Assam: Extortion Racket Busted, Three Detained Including a Journalist

GUWAHATI: A journalist and two other people were detained by the Digboi Police on extortion accusations based on counterfeit caste certificates from the Tinsukia region of Assam.

The accused have been identified as Manoj Kr. Das and Apurva Hazarika, who are allegedly the vice president and secretary of the Scheduled Caste Jatya Sangram Yuva Parishad, respectively, as well as Monuranjan Das, a journalist with a local media outlet and a former secretary of the Tinsukia District Journalist Association.

Police in Tinsukia, lodged a case and detained the trio after receiving a complaint from a former Indian Oil Corporation Limited employee, according to Tinsukia police superintendent, Abhijit Gurav.

Gurav stated, "The complainant, in his FIR dated March 6, said that on May 31, last year, the accused persons, namely Manoj Kr. Das and Monuranjan Das, along with three accomplices, visited his house and demanded his service record." They allegedly verified all of his service records, including his SC caste certificate.

Gurav noted that the suspect had alleged that his certificate was a forgery. He then threatened him with grave repercussions and made a hefty financial demand. Thereafter, the complainant was allegedly forced to sign four separate checks totalling Rs 25,00,000 (combined), which the accused allegedly withdrew.

"The organisation has already extracted Rs 41.50 lakh from the complaint over the last eight months. The complainant came to the door of the police this time, when they once again threatened and blackmailed him for an extra sum of Rs. 150,000," stated Gurav.

A case had been opened by the police in accordance with Section 120(B)/386 of the Indian Criminal Code.

D. J. Dutta, the officer in charge of the Digboi police station, said that while the inquiry is ongoing, they are working to freeze the accused's bank accounts and retrieve the extorted funds. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the scam has blackmailed individuals throughout the state, including several in Shillong.

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