Nagpur: In a startling turn of events, Pyare Jiya Khan, the chairman of the Hazrat Baba Tajuddin Trust and a well-known entrepreneur, has been hit with a ₹1 crore extortion demand. The Sakardara police have registered a case of extortion and other charges against three individuals, including a Congress leader.
The individuals named in the case are Mohammad Wasim, Shakir Raza Khan, and one other. Shakir Raza operates a YouTube and Facebook channel. Pyare Khan has been the chairman of Tajbagh since June 2021, during which time he has undertaken numerous development and construction projects and cleared encroachments in the area. For the past two months, Shakir has been broadcasting defamatory videos about Pyare Khan on his channels. On June 13, Shakir aired an interview with Mohammad Wasim, during which Wasim stated that Pyare Khan “would end up in jail.” Khan ignored these provocations.
On June 14, while Pyare Khan was at his office, he received a message from the number 988188xxxx, followed by a WhatsApp call from the same number. The caller threatened, “Shakir and Wasim are spreading defamatory videos about you on social media. In 120 days, the state assembly elections will be held. If you want these videos to stop, you must pay ₹1 crore. We have solid evidence against you.” When Khan inquired about Shakir Raza, the caller confirmed, “He is with us.”
Pyare Khan recorded the entire conversation on another mobile phone and lodged a complaint with the Sakardara police based on this evidence. The police have filed an extortion case and initiated an investigation into the matter.