Patna, Jan 16 The Patna Police on Wednesday arrested a man accused of threatening Bihar’s Labour Minister, Santosh Kumar Singh, and demanding an extortion amount of Rs 30 lakh.
The incident has created a stir in the state’s political and administrative circles. The minister received the extortion threat earlier this week, prompting him to file a First Information Report (FIR) at Patna’s Kotwali police station on Tuesday.
Acting swiftly, the police initiated an investigation, leading to the suspect's arrest on Wednesday. City Superintendent of Police (SP) (Central) Sweety Sehrawat confirmed the incident and the arrest of an accused named Sanjay Yadav from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
“After receiving the minister's complaint, we immediately formed a team led by a DSP-rank officer. Using technical surveillance, they traced the accused to his native village under the Phulpur police station in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. With the cooperation of Azamgarh police, Sanjay Yadav was arrested and brought to Patna. Sanjay Yadav, a labourer who previously worked at a readymade garment shop in Mumbai, had recently quit his job and returned to Azamgarh to build a house. Facing financial constraints, he devised a plan to extort money from prominent individuals. Yadav obtained the contact details of Bihar Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Singh through his Facebook page and issued threats to extort Rs 30 lakh,” the SP said.
“The accused admitted to being inspired by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose videos and photos he had seen online. He used Bishnoi's name to create a sense of fear and credibility,” Sehrawat said.
“We have seized Yadav’s mobile phone and SIM card, which he used to make the threatening call. The device will be sent to a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to determine whether he made similar extortion attempts against other individuals. The investigation of his call details is underway,” she said.
The police have ensured that legal proceedings are being expedited, and security for public officials has been heightened to prevent such incidents. Sehrawat said the accused was produced in the court which sent him to judicial custody.
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