New Delhi: An astrologer was arrested in
the capital for allegedly attempting extort Rs ten lakh from a
businessman who used to visit him regularly, police said
on Friday.
Hargovind Sharma, a resident of Rohini, was arrested
on Wednesday from his Rohini residence following a probe into
a complaint filed by a businessman in west Delhi about threat
calls he received from an unidentified person demanding Rs ten
lakh.
"The businessman first received the calls on his
number. Later, the caller then started making calls to his
relative`s mobile," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special
Cell) Alok Kumar said.
The caller told the businessman to pay up or he will
lose all his family members.
Investigators zeroed in on Sharma after technical
surveillance pointed to the astrologer, a senior police
official said. He was arrested and later confessed to his
crime, the official claimed.
"The businessman and his family used to visit him
earlier. Sharma developed an interest in his daughter and when
her marriage was fixed, he planned to extort money," he said.
"Sharma first obtained a new SIM card using a fake
identity card and then he started making threatening calls to
the businessman demanding money," he said.
Three mobile phones used for making threat calls and
two ATM cards were recovered from his possession, police said.
-PTI
