It’s a kind of case that has an unusual trail that stretches from Gujarat all the way to western Africa. It points to an Indian national allegedly orchestrating extortion calls from abroad.
An Indian national Sameer Galif Ringbloch from Talala in Gir-Somnath is suspected of making extortion calls to at least three members of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
Reports claimed he was working as a hotel manager in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in western Africa.
According to Dy SP Hitesh Dhandhaliya, the investigation suggested that while two men had been apprehended, Ringbloch was considered the main mastermind.
Talking to a certain section of the media, he said that Ringbloch had previously been booked in a case of assault several years ago and had been living in Congo for around seven years, employed at a hotel owned by a businessman from Morbi. The officer added that Ringbloch visited India intermittently and that police were exploring different avenues to apprehend him.
Junagadh Police officials reported that through the tracing of phone numbers, they had managed to reach Ronak Raju Thakor from Ahmedabad and, through him, Imran alias John Noormohammad Simari, a resident of Gir-Somnath.
Both were described as having allegedly attempted to collect the extortion money, while Ringbloch was believed to be directing the operation from abroad.
Earlier, Junagadh MLA Sanjay Koradia had filed a police complaint that led to the arrests of Thakor and Simari on Friday. The case was registered at the Junagadh ‘B’ Division police station, where the two were listed as co-accused. Officials from different districts mentioned that, based on preliminary information, Ringbloch had also allegedly tried to extort two other MLAs — one from Rajkot and another from Ahmedabad, though these individuals had not lodged formal complaints. Local authorities said that inquiries into these extortion calls were underway.
As per the FIR, Koradia had allegedly received an extortion call on his WhatsApp number on October 26. The caller was said to have abused him and demanded Rs 30 lakh, prompting the MLA to block the number.
However, two days later, on October 28, he reportedly received another threatening call and multiple messages from a different number. The caller allegedly warned that his family would be harmed if he failed to pay the demanded sum. It was further claimed that the caller told Koradia he had “several men in Gujarat” and that the Gujarat Police “would not be able to touch him.”
Police officials added that the caller had allegedly provided Koradia with the Indian phone number of accused Ronak Raju Thakor and instructed him to send the money through the Angadia network. PI A. B. Gohil mentioned that Ringbloch had allegedly threatened to kill Koradia’s family if the demand was not met.
The police registered a case against Ronak Thakor, the anonymous caller, and other unknown persons under relevant BNS sections pertaining to extortion, criminal intimidation, criminal intimidation through anonymous communication, and being present as an abettor.
Also Read: Former Gujarat BJP MLA, Ex-Amreli SP, Others Sentenced To Life In 2018 Bitcoin Extortion Case https://www.vibesofindia.com/former-bjp-mla-from-gujarat-arrested-in-bitcoin-fraud/
