Man held in Zeeshan Siddique threat case also sought Rs 5 cr from cricketer Rinku Singh: Cops

Mumbai, Oct 9 (PTI) A man arrested for allegedly sending a threat email to former Maharashtra MLA Zeeshan Siddique has admitted that he also sought to extort Rs 5 crore from India cricketer Rinku Singh in the name of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, a police official said on Thursday.

Mohammed Dilshad Naved (35), a resident of Bihar, was apprehended by Mumbai Crime Branch on August 1 this year after he returned from the Caribbean nation of Tinidad and Tobago, the official said.

The Mumbai Crime Branch's Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) has filed a chargesheet in the Zeeshan Siddique threat mail case.

The statement of Naved, in which he spoke about seeking Rs 5 crore from Rinku Singh by sending messages on the mobile phone of the cricketer's publicity team, is part of the chargesheet.

"Three messages were sent by Naved. The first in the morning of February 5 in which he initially requested financial help, the second on April 9 seeking Rs 5 crore and the third message on April 20 in which he claimed it was being sent on behalf of D-company (a term used for Ibrahim's gang)," the official said.

"During the investigation of the case, it also came to light that besides the publicity team of the cricketer Rinku Singh, the accused has sent threat messages to few other people as well," the official added. PTI DC BNM