KOCHI: A couple accused of extorting money from the owner of an IT company operating at Infopark, Kakkanad, by threatening to spread defamatory allegations and implicate him in a fabricated sexual assault case were arrested on Tuesday.
The arrested are Swetha Babu, a former employee of the company, and her partner Krishna Raj, a resident of Chavakkad, Thrissur. They were apprehended by the Ernakulam Central police following a complaint filed by Venugopal, the company’s owner.
The duo fraudulently withdrew Rs 50,000 from Venugopal’s account and forced him into handing over signed cheque leaves and agreement papers, said a source with Kochi city police.
After transferring Rs 50,000 from Venugopal’s account, on the next day, they summoned two of the complainant’s associates, including company director Bimal Raj, to a hotel and demanded Rs 30 crore.
Here, the accused forced Venugopal to sign documents. Of the total demand, `10 crore was transferred to Krishna Raj’s bank account immediately, while the remaining `20 crore was to be paid through two post-dated cheques.