Central minister's wife gets extortion calls, case registered

New Delhi, Aug 17: A central minister's wife has filed a complaint that one person has been allegedly blackmailing her and demanding Rs 2 crore as extortion money, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday.

The minister's wife registered the complaint late on Tuesday at Tughlaq Road police station. The names of the minister as well as his wife who lodged the complaint were not disclosed by the police.

In her complaint to the police, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader's wife claimed: "The accused named Praveen Chauhan, friend of my nephew, has been threatening me with dire consequences, saying that if I fail to pay him Rs 2 crore, he will make public some doctored audio and video clips, contents of which are unknown to me."

She also claimed that the accused has been calling her late in the night and during the day, blackmailing here and extorting money.

The BJP leader's wife further said that the accused had threatened to ruin her and the reputation of her husband.

In her complaint, she alleged that Praveen Chauhan has recently posted a video on YouTube levelling false allegations against her husband and her family as part of his extortion bid.

The union minister's wife has demanded that her and her family's security be enhanced as the accused carries a gun and his husband travels abroad regularly for official purposes.

When contacted, the Delhi Police said that it has registered a case for extortion and criminal intimidation against the accused and is examining the case.

"We have registered a case under Sections 384 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and we have formed multiple teams to look into the matter," a senior police officer told IANS, requesting anonymity.

IANS