New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): The Patiala House Court on Thursday extended the police custody of an accused, Jaswant Singh, arrested for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to extort Rs 10 crores from Defence Entrepreneur Sahil Luthra.
Jaswant Singh is an employee of Sahil Luthra. Earlier, he had been working in the Punjab Police.
Sahil Luthra, a resident of Chanakya Puri, New Delhi, has alleged that he received death threats twice through WhatsApp from international numbers if he does not pay Rs 10 crores. An extortionate amount was to be paid to a Canada-based individual.
An FIR was lodged at the Police Station Chanakyapuri. Later on, the investigation was transferred to the crime branch of the Delhi police.
Crime Branch has arrested three persons, namely Jaswant Singh, Gurpinder Singh and Shamsher Singh. They were arrested on June 13 in Amritsar and Tarn Taran, Punjab.
Duty Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Pranav Joshi on Thursday extended the police custody of Jaswant for a further three days after considering the application and submissions of the Delhi police.
While granting further custody, the court noted that the extension of remand is sought on the ground that during the police custody remand earlier, a mobile phone was recovered at the instance of the accused Jaswant, which was hidden near a Nala in the area of Gharinda, Amritsar and the accused is required to be confronted with the data of the mobile phone for ascertaining the involvement of other suspects.
The court said that the investigating agency cannot be denied a fair opportunity to conduct an investigation, considering that the accused, Jaswant, on account of his close proximity to the complainant, could have had the opportunity to execute the conspiracy.
“Therefore, the request for extension of PC remand is allowed and accused Jaswant Singh is remanded to a further period of PC remand of 03 days till June 21,” Duty ACJM Pranav Joshi ordered on June 18.
Advocate Akash Rana appeared for Jaswant Singh. A bail application has also been filed, which is listed for hearing on June 21.
Meanwhile, accsued persons Shamsher Singh and Gurpinder Singh have been remanded in Judicial custody till July 2. Advocate Bhanu Malhotra appeared for them.
Delhi police moved an application seeking three days’ further custody remand of Jaswant Singh on the ground that during the investigation, a mobile phone was recovered at the instance of the accused, and he is required to be confronted with the data of the mobile phone, which could be forensically recovered.
It was further submitted that the contents of the call logs, communications, contact details, location data and other electronic evidence can only be ascertained during custodial interrogation of the accused.
Police also submitted that during the investigation, involvement of additional persons has surfaced whose identities are yet to be ascertained, adding that the accused has deliberately concealed material facts and has not made truthful disclosures.
Counsel for accsued opposed the request for extension of the custody remand on the ground that the accused has already been interrogated sufficiently. He also submitted that the accused himself surrendered all his personal devices during the investigation and cooperated to the fullest extent.
As per the prosecution, the complainant, Sahil Luthra, who is a well-established businessman, has been receiving threatening messages for extortion. The complainant was receiving international calls and messages demanding Rs 10 Crore.
During the investigation, the accused Shamsher Singh, Gurpinder Singh and accused Jaswant were identified as the accused who were part of the conspiracy for committing extortion. The accused, Jaswant, was previously working with the Punjab Police and was also an employee of the complainant.
A case has been registered on the complaint of Sahil Luthra, who is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Vijayan Trishul Defence Solutions Private Limited, a company operating in the highly sensitive and nationally significant sector of defence manufacturing.
As per the complaint, on August 27, 2025, the complainant received a threatening WhatsApp message, which contained a categorical demand of Rs 10 crores, failing which the sender threatened “to wipe out the complainant’s entire family.
The message further indicated that the extortion amount was to be paid to Canada-based individuals. After that day, the complainant kept on receiving multiple unsolicited and persistent calls from international numbers for the demand of Rs 10 crores, to be delivered to his associates.
The complainant has been provided security by the Punjab Police and the Delhi Police. During the course, the complainant also received another similar threat on June 4 from an international WhatsApp number. The investigation of the above case was transferred to the Crime Branch on June 10.
Then, on the basis of technical input, the above three suspected persons were traced.
It is alleged that the accused Jaswant, who is an employee of Sahil Luthra, hatched a conspiracy with the accused Shamsher and the accused Gurpinder to extort the complainant. The accused Jaswant was previously working in the Punjab Police, who provided a phone and SIM to the accused persons Shamsher and Gurpinder for sending threatening messages/notes, the police alleged. (ANI)
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