DU professor's nephew arrested for extortion attempt

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) The nephew of a Delhi University (DU) assistant professor was arrested for seeking to extort money from him, said police Saturday.

Atish Ranjan, in his 30s, a science graduate, was arrested from Mehrauli-Badarpur road in south Delhi based on a specific input, said Ashok Chand, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime).

"On interrogation, Ranjan admitted to making extortion calls to his uncle and demanding Rs.5 lakh as he was in the throes of a financial crisis," said Chand.

According to the police, Ranjan had posed as a gangster to threaten his uncle. The mobile phone and the SIM card he had used to make the extortion calls has also been recovered from him.

Ranjan, police said, completed his graduation in science from Jharkhand before joining a computer coaching institute and later working at the same facility as a teacher.

"In 2010, Rajan came to Delhi, started living at Sangam Vihar and was employed at a bank as a sales executive. In the year 2012, he changed his job profile and started providing waiters for functions," said Chand.

"However, in 2013, he found himself in a deep financial crisis and therefore planned to extort money from his own uncle," he added.