A labourer from Bihar, Mohammad Naushad, who allegedly threatened Indian cricketer Rinku Singh by invoking the name of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, also issued similar threats to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Zeeshan Siddique, according to reports.

He was apprehended at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

The 33-year-old, identified as Mohammad Dilshad Mohammad Naushad, hails from Darbhanga in Bihar, and had been working as a daily wage labourer in Trinidad and Tobago. He was detained by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch on August 1, shortly after arriving in Mumbai from the Caribbean, as per the reports. A Lookout Circular (LOC) had been issued against him in May, after investigators traced threatening emails to his IP address located abroad.

According to officials, Naushad had posed as a member of D-Company, the infamous underworld outfit, and sent a series of threatening emails demanding large sums of money. During interrogation, police discovered that he had contacted Rinku Singh’s event manager, claiming to have underworld connections and warning of “severe consequences” if his demands weren’t met.

Police sources revealed that the first email to Rinku Singh’s team was sent on February 5, politely requesting financial assistance. However, it was followed by a direct demand for Rs 5 crore, and when there was no response, a chilling follow-up email was sent simply stating: “Reminder! D-Company.”

Earlier, between April 19 and 21, Naushad allegedly sent multiple emails to Zeeshan Siddique, demanding Rs 10 crore, and warning that he would “meet the same fate as his father” if the demand was not fulfilled.

The case was initially registered by Bandra Police and later handed over to the AEC. Investigators, with the help of Interpol and the Ministry of External Affairs, successfully extradited Naushad to India, a rare achievement in cyber-extortion cases.

Officials noted that the accused was well-versed in cyber techniques and had strategically used foreign locations to send emails and avoid detection.

“He used the D-Company’s name to create fear and extort money. So far, no direct link with any organised crime syndicate has been found,” an officer said.

Police are now investigating whether Naushad had any international collaborators or acted alone while exploiting technology to target high-profile individuals.

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