Hyderabad: History-Sheeter Held For Alleged Extortion of Builders

Hyderabad: Dabeerpura police arrested a 57-year-old history-sheeter on Monday for extorting builders and property owners by threatening them with criminal complaints and demolition proceedings unless they paid him large sums of money. The arrest was made following a complaint lodged by a builder from Azampura, who is constructing a building in the Kaladera area of Malakpet.

According to the police, the accused had allegedly been pressuring the builder for several months to pay ₹50 lakh, threatening that a serious criminal case would be registered against the builder if the demand was not met.

Police said that two months ago, the accused entered the construction site wielding a knife, threatened workers asking for the builder’s whereabouts and abused him. He warned that he would ensure the builder was jailed if his demands were ignored. Police also said the accused again visited the site on June 9 and threatened the watchman and the builder in an attempt to extort money.

According to police, the accused, who had earlier lived in Saudi Arabia, was targeting newly constructed buildings after returning to India. His alleged modus operandi involved identifying suspected building violations, photographing properties and posting the images on social media while tagging government departments and senior officials. He would then allegedly demand money from builders and threaten to pursue official complaints if they refused.

Police said the accused is a rowdy sheeter and has been involved in several criminal cases registered at Narayanguda and Abids police stations between 2017 and 2023.