A man allegedly attempted to extort Rs 10 lakh from novelist Anand L Neelakantan by claiming that he had insulted the Valmiki community in one of his books
Anand L Neelakantan
A man allegedly attempted to extort Rs 10 lakh from novelist Anand L Neelakantan by claiming that he had insulted the Valmiki community in one of his books, police said on Tuesday.
The police in Maharashtra's Thane city has registered an offence under sections 384 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against one Ravindra Chowdhary, who identified himself as the chairman of the Vishwa Valmiki Samaj, an official said.
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The 49-year-old novelist is his complaint claimed that he received a call from Chowdhary, who identified himself as the chairman of the Vishwa Valmiki Samaj, on the night of August 21, he said.
The caller claimed that Neelakantan had insulted the Valmiki community in his book “Valmiki's Women: Five Tales of Ramayana”, and he proceeded to demand Rs 10 lakh to placate the community, the official said.
After negotiations, the caller settled for Rs. 2.5 lakh. The novelist then approached the police with a complaint, he said.
A probe has been initiated but no arrests have been made in this regard so far, the official said.
Neelakantan has penned more than 13 books and is also a columnist, screenwriter, and public speaker. He is known for writing mythological fiction and has authored 12 books in English and one in Malayalam.
On July 22 a Mumbai-based businessman allegedly received an extortion call from a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang demanding Rs 20 lakh, police said on Saturday.
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The Dindoshi police registered an FIR based on a complaint lodged by the businessman who is a resident of the western suburb of Malad, an official said.
The complainant stated that he received a call from an unknown number on Thursday night and the caller introduced himself as a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, he said.
The caller demanded Rs 20 lakh from the complainant in the name of the jailed gangster, the official said. A case under section 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) has been registered and the police are collecting information about the caller, he added.
Earlier in April, Uddhav Thackeray faction leader and MP Sanjay Raut had allegedly received a death threat message from Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Mumbai Police said. Raut had filed a written complaint in this regard and an investigation into the matter is underway, the police said. "Sanjay Raut received death threats stating that he will meet Sidhu Moose Wala's fate. He got the threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The message said that if you met in Delhi, will kill you with AK 47. He wrote a letter to the police complaining about the matter," the police said. (Agencies)
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