Surat Police Bust Rs.25 Lakh Extortion Plot Targeting Diamond Tycoon Govind Dholakia
SURAT: A ₹25 lakh extortion threat targeting renowned diamond industrialist and Rajya Sabha MP Govind Dholakia and his company, SRK Diamonds, has been cracked by Surat Police, with investigators...
SURAT: A ₹25 lakh extortion threat targeting renowned diamond industrialist and Rajya Sabha MP Govind Dholakia and his company, SRK Diamonds, has been cracked by Surat Police, with investigators arresting a former employee from Surendranagar.
The accused allegedly posed as a person concerned about the security of SRK employees and threatened the company’s security office, demanding ₹25 lakh. Police said the accused had suffered losses of around ₹15-20 lakh in the stock market and allegedly planned the extortion to repay his debts.
The case came to light after an employee of the SRK security office received threatening calls between August 19 and 20. According to the complaint, the caller warned that unless the money was paid, the safety of the company’s young employees could be compromised.
The threat triggered concern within the company before a complaint was filed at Katargam police station on August 22.
“After receiving the complaint, we immediately began analysing the mobile number and call records. Technical surveillance and CDR analysis helped investigators identify and trace the accused,” police officials said.
Investigators traced the suspect to Surendranagar and arrested him. During questioning, police allegedly found that he had worked at SRK Diamond Company for around three months about a year ago before leaving the job.
Police said the accused had recently incurred substantial losses in the stock market. Investigators suspect he then devised the extortion plan as a shortcut to arrange money.
In an attempt to conceal his identity, the accused allegedly used a SIM card registered in another person’s name to make the threatening calls. Police further said he discarded the mobile phone and SIM card in a river after making the calls.
The investigation so far has not revealed any previous criminal involvement of the accused, police said. Further investigation is underway to establish whether anyone else was involved in the conspiracy.
