2 held for extorting money from customer at fine-dining restaurant in east Delhi

Two employees of a fine-dining restaurant in east Delhi have been arrested for allegedly assaulting and extorting money from a customer at the establishment, police said on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Aman Gujjar (28), a resident of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, and Md Arshadullah Alam (28), a resident of Laxmi Nagar in Delhi. While Alam is an organiser at the restaurant, Gujjar is a bouncer.

The 28-year-old victim was allegedly lured to a restaurant by a woman who contacted him and called him to Karkardooma Metro Station before taking him to a restaurant, they said.

According to the complaint, the victim was presented with an inflated bill of around Rs 21,000 and allegedly intimidated and assaulted when he hesitated to pay. He was forced to pay Rs 8,000 in cash and Rs 6,000 through UPI, they said.

The accused allegedly took his ATM card and PIN and withdrew another Rs 11,000 from his account. They also threatened him against approaching the police and demanded an additional Rs 25,000, police said.

Undeterred by the threat, the victim filed a complaint, following which police began their investigation after registering an FIR. A team examined CCTV footage, collected information and worked on leads provided by the complainant.

Based on the investigation and the victim’s identification, Gujjar and Alam were arrested, police said.

During interrogation, Gujjar allegedly disclosed that he worked as a bouncer at the restaurant, while Alam was an organiser. Both allegedly participated in assaulting and extorting money from the complainant, police said.

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The accused also disclosed the involvement of the woman who allegedly contacted the victim and brought him to the restaurant. She fled before the police arrived, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend her.

Further investigation is underway to identify other persons involved in the alleged extortion and establish the money trail, police said.