PANAJI
In a curious case of extortion, the Goa Police's Crime Branch have arrested a 62-year-old businessman based in Dona Paula allegedly accepting Rs 20 crore by cheque from a Panaji-based builder as 'extortion money'.
Crime Branch claimed that they caught the accused, identified as Prakash Aggarwal, after laying a trap and in the act of accepting the Rs 20 crore he demanded by cheque from prominent Panaji realtor, Joe Mathias.
Mathias, who is managing director of Mathias Construction, had approached the Crime Branch with his complaint that Aggarwal had demanded the extortion money from him.
Mathias had also alleged that Aggarwal was threatening to file complaints against an ongoing project of his in Taleigao before multiple authorities and fora.
Aggarwal had also allegedly warned the builder that his associates will not let him complete the balance works of his project if the Rs 20 crore was not paid and all issues settled.
Curiously, the fact that the alleged extortionist had agreed to accept the money by cheque which is an official mode of payment and the trail can be tracked, has raised several eyebrows.
