Mumbai: Student from Gujarat held for threat emails to Ambani

DCP Raj Tilak Roushan addressing the press. Pic/Satej Shinde

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Saturday arrested a 21-year-old Gujarat resident for allegedly sending threatening emails to industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

The business tycoon had from October 27 to November 1 received a total of five emails, in which the accused, who signed his name as Shadab Khan, demanded R500 crore, failing which he threatened to kill Ambani.

"The email was sent from the email address called Shadaabkhan@mailfence. We conducted a technical investigation and found that it was sent through the dark web, using a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN)," said a Crime Branch officer.

"Using cyber forensic investigation techniques, we were able to break through the layers of the VPN and identified on 154 suspects who could have sent the email. A deeper analysis helped us zero in on the accused," the officer added.

On Friday, a team with the Crime Branch's Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) reached Kalol in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat and picked up Rajveersingh Jagatsingh Khant, 21, a final year BCom student. During questioning, he allegedly confessed to having sent the five emails, after which he was brought to Mumbai on Saturday and placed under arrest. The police have also seized the hard disk of his computer and two mobile phones that he was using.

"Prima facie, it appears that the accused has committed the act for fun," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection I) Raj Tilak Roushan. "We are investigating whether anyone else was involved in the offence." Meanwhile, the Gamdevi police also arrested a Telangana resident, identified as Ganesh Vanpardhi, for sending threatening emails to Ambani.