Kerala couple held for blackmailing IT honcho gets bail (Lead)

Kochi, July 30 (IANS) A local court granted bail to a couple from Kochi, hours after they were taken into custody by the Ernakulam Central Police for allegedly blackmailing and threatening an IT firm owner into giving them a substantial amount of money.

The bail has been given based on the Supreme Court guidelines, and strict conditions have also been imposed.

The couple has been asked to cooperate with the police investigation team, and since they have been doing that, the court granted them bail.

Speaking to IANS, a police official attached to the Central Police said that the arrest has been recorded and the case is now under investigation, and all details will be looked into.

Incidentally, the duo, identified as Krishna Raj and his wife Shweta Babu, trapped the IT honcho by blackmailing him and got a sum of Rs 50,000 transferred into their bank account.

They even got him to sign two cheques of Rs 10 crore each in their name.

Shweta was working in the firm belonging to the IT honcho, and she had resigned recently. It was after her resignation that the couple decided to create a false case and started threatening the businessman that if he did not pay Rs 30 crore to Shweta, she would accuse him of being in an extramarital relationship with her and would also accuse him of sexual assault.

Centring around this theme, the couple asked him and two other employees of the firm to meet them.

At the meeting that took place last week, the couple threatened that if the businessman did not pay them Rs 30 crore, things would get out of hand and he would land in jail on charges of sexual assault.

He was asked to transfer Rs 10 crore to them immediately and give two cheques of Rs 10 crore each.

The hapless businessman transferred Rs 50,000 into their account and then prepared two cheques of Rs 10 crore each.

However, later the businessman got in touch with the police and after a tactful operation by them, the couple was trapped and taken into custody.

A search was conducted, and two cheques of Rs 10 crore each signed by the IT firm owner were found in their possession.

Following this, the police got into motion and arrested the two. During the preliminary investigation, the couple confessed to the crime.

Meanwhile, police are continuing the investigation to find out if more people are involved in the case.

--IANS

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