Mumbai, April 6 (NationPress) – The Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Police has detained two suspects for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 4 lakh from a victim using a letter that supposedly bore the forged signature of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials reported on Monday.

The accused were presented in the Esplanade Court, where they were remanded to three days of police custody for ongoing investigations.

The individuals arrested have been identified as Tausif Hussain Ismail Patel (44), an advertising professional affiliated with Target Media, and Siddhinath Dinanath Pandey, also known as Sunil (43), who is linked to the same organization.

Both suspects reside at Ganesh Building in Shastri Nagar, Goregaon (West). Their arrest occurred on April 4 at approximately 7:30 p.m. Advocate Birendra Yadav represented them during court proceedings.

The victim operates an NGO focused on social initiatives for underprivileged children, senior citizens, and orphanages since 2020.

Reportedly, the victim met Tausif Patel and another associate, Farnaz Wadia, during a social gathering in 2022.

The pair allegedly presented themselves as journalists and maintained contact via WhatsApp, frequently updating the victim on her activities.

On March 18, Patel purportedly sent a voice note via WhatsApp, proposing to facilitate a birthday greeting letter from the Prime Minister’s Office for a fee. Initially skeptical, the victim dismissed the offer as fraudulent; however, the accused persisted, demanding Rs 4 lakh as “PR charges.”

Later, on March 28, Farnaz Wadia allegedly transmitted a digital copy of a letter featuring the Prime Minister’s signature, commending the victim's social efforts. The victim briefly posted the letter on social media but removed it after colleagues questioned its legitimacy.

Authorities revealed that following this, the suspects escalated their demands and allegedly created a fraudulent email account in the victim’s name to lend credibility to the counterfeit correspondence.

On April 2, the victim arranged a meeting with the suspects at a cafe in Worli. During this meeting, they purportedly claimed to have connections within the Prime Minister’s Office and reiterated their request for Rs 4 lakh in exchange for providing a framed “original” letter.

Under continuous pressure and alleged threats, the victim approached law enforcement. Acting on her complaint, the Anti-Extortion Cell executed a technical investigation and set up a sting operation at a hotel in Worli Sea Face, where the suspects were apprehended while allegedly accepting the extortion funds.

During the operation, police seized various items from the accused, including a framed counterfeit birthday greeting letter supposedly signed by the Prime Minister, bundles of toy currency notes, two genuine Rs 500 notes, and two mobile devices allegedly used in the crime.

A case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, encompassing charges such as cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, extortion, and cyber fraud. The FIR was initially lodged at Worli Police Station and later transferred to the Anti-Extortion Cell for further investigation.

The investigation is spearheaded by Police Inspector Arun Thorat of the Anti-Extortion Cell.

Officials suspect that additional individuals may be part of this scheme and are exploring various angles, including the origins of the forged Prime Minister’s signature and letterhead, the digital methods utilized to fabricate the document, and potential accomplices, including those located outside Maharashtra.

Authorities are also investigating whether similar frauds have been perpetrated using forged documents of other government officials.

Further investigation into this case is ongoing.