Busted: IT expert arrested for extortion

MBA graduate Vinod Kumar allegedly used Skype calls to demand money from his victims

KARACHI: The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) police, in collaboration with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), has arrested a suspect for demanding extortion money via Skype calls.

Thirty-year-old Vinod Kumar was apprehended during a joint raid conducted by the SIU and CPLC in Saddar. He was accused of demanding Rs2 million from a high-ranking employee of an insurance company located on MA Jinnah Road.

A CPLC spokesperson said that they had received a complaint from the insurance official claiming that an unknown person was asking him to pay extortion money. "The CPLC and SIU formed a joint team to catch the culprit and, using intelligence and technical expertise, we conducted a joint raid in Saddar," he explained, adding that the suspect was an IT expert with an MBA degree from a British university. "The accused was using Skype to commit his crime and has received extortion from other insurance companies in the past as well."

SIU chief SP Farooq Awan, while talking to The Express Tribune, confirmed Kumar's academic credentials, adding that he was a resident of Karachi. He said that the suspect had previously extorted Rs3 million from his victims.

Kumar, meanwhile, told the media that he turned to crime because of debts, explaining that he called his victims with Skype to avoid being traced immediately. A case has been registered against him.

Separately, the Kharadar police claimed to have apprehended two extortionists, identified as Khalid alias Katakat and Shahenshah. A hand grenade and a pistol were seized from their possession.

Three suspects wanted for attacking a Crime Branch police van were arrested after an exchange of fire with the police in Quaidabad. Police officials said that the raid was conducted after receiving information about the presence of the suspects, adding that three men, identified as Yasir, Ayaz and Yusuf, were arrested while their accomplices managed to escape.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2015.