Extortionist resumes threats barely a month out of jail, nabbed

GANGTOK, 30 Jan: An extortionist, attempting to collect money from people, particularly businessmen in the capital, in the name of leaders of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, has been apprehended by the Gangtok police. Interestingly, it has been barely a month since the accused, Dipesh Trikhatri of Kalimpong, was released from the State Jail here he had served time on charges of extortion. And now he stands accused of having resumed his ‘extortion operation’ again. He was released from the State Jail in the last week of December, 2011.
The accused, it is informed, had made threatening calls to two businessmen, one of whom is the owner and manager of a big hotel in the heart of the town. They were threatened in the name of the GJMM leader Bimal Gurung to cough up money or “face consequences”.
Interestingly, earlier too when Dipesh Trikhatri was arrested by the Sadar police, he had made similar threatening calls for money. That time, however, he had called up senior government officials demanding money in the name of the GJMM leader. This time, he was demanding Rs.50,000 from the hotel manager.
The police were informed of the threats and it was decided that the hotel manager would agree to pay up and a time and location for the handover was also decided upon with the accused. It was on the evening of 26 January that the manager was to hand over the amount. The police were waiting and when the accused turned up for the money, he was nabbed.