Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (SP)

Kasargod, Sep 1: A case stands registered at Kumble police station in the district against five persons including a woman relating to a complaint filed by a hotelier, who has alleged that he had been blackmailed by these persons and pressured him to part with money after enticing him with the offer of marriage.

The police have succeeded in arresting four of the accused, identified as Abdul Irshad (35) from Kallangai, P K Kunhikoya (50) from Povval Kota House, Moidin Kunhi (32) from Arikkady, and Tahira (28) from Povval, in connection with this complaint. Another accused, who is said to be from Uppala Kaikamba, has gone into hiding, and the police have laid out a net to nab him.

The complainant is Mohammed (50), a resident of Arikkady, who runs a hotel in Mumbai. Mohammed said in his complaint that the accused knew that the relationship between him and his wife had grown sour over time. The accused men, it is said, introduced a girl to Mohammed, and lured him with the offer of convincing her to marry him. However, they recorded telephonic conversations between Mohammed and the lady clandestinely over a period, and began blackmailing him on the pretext of making the contents of these conversations public. Mohammed said he was constantly blackmailed, and pressurized to part with money. The complainant puts the total amount he was made to cough up over a period of time, at Rs 2,85,000.

The police have registered a case under different legal provisions relating to blackmailing of persons for monetary gain, secret tapping of telephonic conversations and illegally recording them, cheating, etc against the accused. Investigations are progressing.