The police on Sunday arrested a soldier of the Indian Army on the charge of trying to extort ₹5 crore from a gold merchant by posing himself as a Maoist and threatening to eliminate him if the amount was not paid.
Superintendent of Police B. Rajakumari said the accused, Chandanapalli Rajeswara Rao (27), had allegedly threatened Indupuru China Gumpa Swamy, a merchant at Parvatipuram in the district, with a country-made pistol and insisted on immediate payment of the amount.
Later, the accused had made several phone calls between March 11 and 17, following which the trader had agreed to pay ₹1.5 crore.
Mr. Swamy later lodged a complaint with the Parvatipuram police, who nabbed the accused at a secluded place between Vikrapuram and Dangabhadra villages when he had come there to receive the money.
The accused told the police that he had lost ₹22 lakh in a land deal and tried to earn it back by hook or by crook.
Rajeswara Rao said he had joined the Indian Army in 2012 and was working in Uttar Pradesh.
“The accused hatched the plan three months ago and targeted the merchant. We have arrested him after thorough investigation,” Ms. Rajakumari told the media.
The SP said that Rajeswara Rao, a native of Bantuvanivalasa village of Parvatipuram mandal, resorted to the crime after reportedly drawing inspiration from ‘Mirzapur’, a television web series.
Ms. Rajakumari urged people not to be carried away by the serials and films and spoil their careers and reputation.
She congratulated OSD N. Suryachandra Rao and Deputy Superintendent of Police A. Subhash for nabbing the accused in a short period.
