Man uses fake thumb, smartwatch as props in plot to extort ₹5cr from friend

A prosthetic thumb, a smartwatch, and an extortion letter demanding ₹5 crore landed at the doorstep of a 50-year-old Shahdara resident — kicking off a bizarre extortion attempt that ended with the arrest of his friend of 30 years.

- Hemani Bhandari

NEW DELHI:

The accused, Abhishek Kumar Jain, 45, and his relative Sachin Jain, were arrested and his minor niece was apprehended, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said.

The case unfolded on April 16, when Vikas Jain was approached by a minor girl who handed him a package, warning him that "dreaded people", who has already killed her father, were now after him. Inside the cardboard box, Vikas found a severed thumb, a smartwatch with an orange band, and a two-page letter — printed in Hindi with titles in Urdu and Arabic — demanding ₹5 crore "for the people of Gaza".