Two held for extorting Rs 1.40 cr from C'garh forest officer

Two persons, including a woman,were arrested for allegedly blackmailing and extorting Rs 1.40crore from a forest officer in Chhattisgarhs Mungeli districtafter telling him that the CBI was probing a complaint ofcorruption against him, police said on Friday.

The duo and their absconding associate also threatenedthe forest officer and told him that he will be sent to a jailin the Andaman and Nicobar Islands if he did not pay money tothem, they said.

While two accused, Paramveer Marhas (40) and VarshaTiwari (30), who had introduced themselves to the officer asreporters of a local news portal, were arrested on Thursday,the third accused, identified only as Sartaj, is still atlarge, Mungeli Superintendent of Police (SP) Arvind Kujursaid.

All the accused are residents of neighbouring Bilaspurdistrict, he said.

Expensive items bought by the trio from the extortedmoney have been seized, Kujur said.

Early this week, the victim, currently posted as aforest ranger in Mungeli, lodged a complaint that he was beingblackmailed by the three since 2019, he said.

During interrogation, Marhas and Tiwari revealed thatSartaj had hatched a plan to extort money from the forestofficer in 2019 when he was posted in the Ratanpur forestrange of Bilaspur, Kujur said.

They told the forest officer there was a complaint ofcorruption against him with the CBI and that the agencys topofficials were investigating the case, the SP said.

The trio told the victim they can settle his case,claiming their acquaintance with CBI officials and demandedmoney from him, he said.

The accused told the forest officer that he will bejailed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and his family willbe ruined if he did not pay money to them, the SP said.

The three extorted Rs 1.40 crore from the ranger inmultiple installments between May 2019 and February 2021, hesaid.

The accused bought two cars, a Bullet motorbike, amoped and gold ornaments from the extorted money and all thesehave been seized, Kujur said.

Besides, Rs 8.15 lakh cash was recovered from thearrested duo, he said.

Further investigation is underway and efforts are onto trace the third accused, Kujur said.

When queried how the forest officer arranged such ahuge sum of money, Kujur said, as per preliminary information,he had sold his properties and also taken loans from severalpeople.

However, exact details will be known after the probeconcludes, the SP added.