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Warrant against Anoushka Shankar’s blackmailer

By IANS,

New Delhi : A Delhi court Friday issued a warrant against the man who allegedly blackmailed sitar player Anoushka Shankar, saying he should be produced before it Nov 27.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja issued the warrant for Mumbai businessman Junaid Khan who is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail after allegedly demanding money from Anoushka, the daughter of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Delhi Police had earlier this week filed a chargesheet against Khan and slapped charges of extortion against him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Information Technology Act.

Khan was arrested by the Special Cell in Mumbai Sep 14 for allegedly blackmailing Anoushka after obtaining her private photographs by hacking her e-mails.

Delhi Police had also issued Letters Rogatory to the US authorities seeking assistance from judicial authorities there to help in collection of evidence in the case. Anoushka’s e-mail ID was allegedly hacked by Khan between May 11 and Sep 14. Anoushka divides her time between India and the US.

“During interrogation, Khan disclosed that he forwarded e-mails, including private photographs of Anoushka, to her ID but later deleted them,” police said.

The accused, who claims to be a sub-dealer in a share trading firm in Mumbai, has been in judicial custody following his arrest.

On Aug 8, a senior home ministry official, had sent a letter to the police on a complaint by Pandit Ravi Shankar stating his daughter was being harassed and blackmailed saying some material, including her pictures, were stolen from her laptop, which she had submitted to a south Delhi-based service centre.