Mumbai: Man arrested for trying to extort Rs 5 lakh from doctor in Wadala

The Wadala TT police have arrested a man for blackmailing a doctor and attempting to extort R5 lakh by threatening to leak an obscene video of him. 

Police said the accused, identified as Raju Venu Naikar, alias Venukam Manikam, 43, had gone to a doctor’s clinic in Wadala with the intention to steal valuables. However, he caught the doctor allegedly masturbating in his chamber and recorded a video. The incident took place on March 3.

Police said that after recording the video, he approached the doctor and demanded Rs 60,000 in exchange for not making it public. Fearing public humiliation and reputational damage, the doctor transferred him Rs 1500 through Google Pay.

However, the accused’s demands escalated. A month later, on April 7, he returned to the clinic and assaulted the doctor, demanding Rs 5 lakh. Distressed and unable to tolerate the harassment, the doctor approached the Wadala TT police and filed a complaint. Based on the report, police launched an investigation and arrested Manikam.

Further investigations revealed that the accused has over two dozen criminal cases registered against him, including charges of attempted murder, theft, extortion, kidnapping, rioting, and robbery. He has also served time in jail.

“The accused was probably attempting to enter the clinic with the intention of stealing when he happened to see the doctor masturbating. He instead recorded the act on his mobile phone and began blackmailing the doctor by threatening to make the video viral,” said a police officer. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 308(2) (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 111 (criminal intimidation), 127(2) (extortion), and 352 (assault), along with Section 66(e) of the Information Technology Act for violation of privacy against Manikam, the police said.