The investigation into the death threat and Rs 10 crore extortion demand made against NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader and Baba Siddiqui’s son, Zeeshan Siddiqui, has been officially handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Until now, the case was being probed by Bandra Police.
A senior official from the Crime Branch confirmed on Thursday that the case file has been transferred to their department, and the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) has been assigned to lead the further investigation.
According to sources, the threatening emails received by Zeeshan Siddiqui were sent using a VPN network. Preliminary findings indicate that the email server was traced to a location near the United States, although the location keeps changing frequently.
Sources also revealed that, so far, there is no indication that the sender has any links to an organised gang. Investigators suspect the person behind the emails could be mentally unstable or simply a mischievous element. However, efforts to trace the individual are still ongoing.
Zeeshan Siddiqui reportedly received three threatening emails on April 21. The messages included a threat to harm him in the same manner as his father, Baba Siddiqui, and demanded a ransom of Rs 10 crore. The case was initially under the jurisdiction of Bandra Police but has now been transferred to the Crime Branch for a more in-depth probe.