Kirit Somaiya receives extortion email threatening to leak video clip; Rs 50 lakh demand

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has alleged that he received an extortion email threatening him to circulate a video purportedly featuring him on social media platforms. It has been learnt that the accused has demanded an extortion of Rs 50 lakh. 

As per Somaiya’s complaint to the Mumbai Police, a case has been registered an unknown person under section 385 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code. 

The email was reportedly received on Sunday. The Mumbai Police have launched an investigation into the matter and is also taking help of the cyber wing to nab the accusded at the earliest. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday issued a directive to a Marathi news channel Lokshahi and ordered the channel’s closure for 72 hours for telecasting an obscene video clip purported to be that of Somaiya. The ministry's action came almost two months after the BJP leader's video was aired on the channel. 

“We received a notice from the ministry about the Kirit Somaiya story we had carried. We have also received an instruction to shut down our channel for the next 72 hours," Lokshahi’s editor-in-chief Kamlesh Sutar was quoted as saying. 

In view of the incident, Somaiya alleged that a conspiracy is going on against him. He also wrote to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Mumbai police chief seeking an investigation into the episode.