US authorities` help sought in Anoushka blackmail case

New Delhi: A Delhi court has issued Letters Rogatory (LR) to the US authorities seeking assistance in a case relating to alleged blackmail and extortion of money from Anoushka Shankar, daughter of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja allowed the application of the Delhi Police and requested judicial authorities in the US to help in collection of evidence in the case. Businessman Junaid Khan was arrested by the Special Cell in Mumbai on September 14 for allegedly demanding money from Anoushka after obtaining her private photographs by hacking her e-mails. In the application filed by Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar, the police sought details of internet protocol of e-mail ID of Anoushka from California-based Google Inc. The email ID of Anoushka was hacked allegedly by the accused Junaid Khan between May 11 and September 14 after his visit to Dubai and later from Mumbai. Besides the internet protocol addresses of Anoushka`s email ID, the police wanted the details relating to an email ID in the name of anoushka.soni@gmail.com which was allegedly created by the accused to send his emails to demand USD 1,22,000 in lieu of her private photographs. The details sought from Google Inc included all deleted emails of the ID created by the accused. "During interrogation, accused Khan disclosed that he forwarded emails including private photographs of the complainant Anoushka to her ID but ater deleted all the stuff from it. Deleted emails of that ID will prove the facts revealed by the accused," Kumar pleaded in the application of the police. He submitted that the documents should be provided in original which should also be duly attested to be a true copy as provided in law in the US. The accused, who claims to be a sub dealer in a share trading firm in Mumbai, has been in judicial custody following his arrest. On August eight, a senior Home Ministry official had sent a letter to the Delhi police on a complaint forwarded to him by Pandit Ravi Shankar stating that his daughter was being harassed and blackmailed after the material was stolen from her emails and lap-top and that huge amount of money was being demanded from here for returning the pictures. Anoushka had herself sent a complaint to the Delhi police on September one from the US following the threats. She said some material, including her pictures, were stolen from her lap-top which she had submitted to a South Delhi-based service centre on February eight last year. The police alleged that Khan had first sent the threatening emails from the UAE and then from Mumbai. He was nailed after the police found that phone number allegedly used for the purpose had been registered in Khan's name. Khan had been booked under IPC provisions relating to extortion, theft and others. Bureau Report