Cops uncover real estate extortion scheme involving politician

New Delhi: In a startling revelation, a politician of Youth Congress Sikander Behl has been jailed, accused of orchestrating a complex real estate extortion scheme.

Behl, once hailed as a rising star in the political arena, now faces a battery of charges, including cheating and criminal breach of trust, under Sections 406/420/120B of the Indian Penal Code, officials said on Sunday.

The modus operandi attributed to Behl and his associates involved the surreptitious leasing of properties and the subsequent extortion of money from the original property owners. Key witnesses, including KC Hari Chandran Nair and Punit Duggal, have stepped forward, offering accounts that suggest a disturbing pattern of behaviour by Behl and his family in similar cases in the past.

Crucial to the investigation is a settlement agreement dated September 14, 2018, between Flairs Builder Pvt Ltd and Besto Electronics Pvt Ltd.

This document reveals Behl and his family’s involvement in a previous extortion

case, where they allegedly deceived a landlord out of a staggering Rs 2.60 crore, the official said.

Further scrutiny by the police led them to M/s Sdreen India Pvt Ltd, a shell company seemingly created solely to execute the deeds. The company’s bank records unveil financial liabilities that mirror the rent amounts paid to the complainant, pointing to a fraudulent financial structure, the official mentioned.

The case was registered in the Maidan Garhi Police Station in South Delhi on March 2, 2023.

The accused are alleged to have utilised legal tactics, asserting property ownership without producing substantiated evidence to support their claims. The absence of legitimate documentation, coupled with these actions, strongly suggests a well-coordinated conspiracy to wrongfully acquire properties and inflict substantial financial losses on their rightful owners.