Kolkata: A 51-year-old real estate promoter was allegedly wrongfully confined, assaulted, and extorted inside a political party office in Beleghata over an old monetary dispute, police said on Sunday.The attackers allegedly also forced the victim to transfer a hefty amount via a digital wallet and physically robbed him before letting him go.According to police, the incident took place on the afternoon of June 10. The promoter, a resident of K G Bose Sarani, was summoned by a group of five known acquaintances to a local BJP party office on Haramohan Ghosh Lane. The party has denied any such claims and questioned whether there was a party office, at all, of theirs at the spot. They claimed it was a Trinamool attempt to defame them even as local Trinamool functionaries have demanded strong action in this case.The brief complaint filed with the local police suggests that once the promoter arrived there around 12.30 pm, the accused men locked him inside. Driven by a long-standing financial dispute, the group allegedly cornered the victim and subjected him to a severe physical assault, raining punches, blows, and kicks on him.Under immense duress and fear for his life, the promoter was then subjected to extortion. The attackers allegedly threatened him with dire consequences and compelled him to make an immediate online UPI payment of Rs 99,000 to a designated bank account. To add to his ordeal, one of the gang members forcefully pinned the victim down and snatched Rs 5,000 from his pocket.The victim later approached the local law enforcement authorities and lodged a formal complaint detailing the entire physical and financial exploitation.Based on the promoter’s statement, the local police station registered a case under multiple sections of the BNS, including section 127(2) for wrongful confinement, section 115(2) for voluntarily causing hurt, section 308(2) for extortion, and section 3(5) for acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.A senior police officer confirmed that an investigation has been initiated into the allegations. A sub-inspector has been appointed as the investigating officer to track the digital footprint of the UPI transaction and apprehend the absconding accused.
