Woman, Her Ally Face Extortion Charges in South Kashmir

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police apprehended a woman and her partner in crime for engaging in extortion while masquerading as associates of the police force in Shopian district, officials said on Tuesday.

“In a well-coordinated operation, Shopian Police successfully detained Mehbooba Akhtar, the wife of Shafkat Mohi-ud-din Kuchay from Kardar, Kulgam, who was acting as a middleman and extorting money from local residents in Shopian,”read an official press release.

The woman, it was revealed, pretended to have close ties with the police in Shopian. In exchange for securing the release of individuals detained for questioning by the police, she extorted significant sums of money from several Shopian families.

She received assistance from Ghulam Hassain Shah, son of Modh Shaban Shah from Behibagh, Kulgam, in carrying out this deception.

“A case has been registered at Police Station Shopian under FIR No- 158/2023, with relevant legal sections applied, and an investigation is underway,” the statement continued. “Both extortionists were summoned to the Police Station for questioning based on information received.”

During questioning, the accused individuals revealed the complete network and method they employed to extort money from their victims.

“The accomplice, Gh Hussain Shah, disclosed that the woman in question had extorted a total of Rs 8.4 lakh rupees from these families over time. Police managed to recover Rs 2.5 lakh rupees from her possession, with further recoveries anticipated.”

Meanwhile, SSP Shopian Tanushree emphasised that extortion constitutes a form of blackmail and urged the public not to fall victim to such tactics. Instead, citizens were encouraged to report such incidents to the police and assist in eradicating all forms of crime, contributing to making Shopian a safer community.

(With inputs from GNS)