Accused in Anoushka blackmail case moves bail plea

A man accused of making extortion bid on Anoushka, daughter of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, today moved a Delhi court seeking bail on the ground that the police had failed to complete probe within statutory 60 days in the case.

Mumbai-based businessman Junaid Khan, who is under the judicial custody following his arrest on September 14, sought his release on bail contending that the police failed to complete investigation as the chargesheet filed against him lacked vital reports from forensic department.

The court posted the application for hearing to tomorrow. In the bail plea filed by his counsel Suleman M Khan in the court of chief  metropolitan magistrate, Kaveri Baweja, the accused said he was entitled for bail because the police could not get reply on the letters rogatory (letter of request) sent to the US authorities seeking help from Google Inc in collecting the evidence.

Khan, whose prosecution has been sought by the police for offences related to extortion under the IPC and hacking the e-mail accounts under the Information Technology Act, is accused of demanding $1,22,000 from Anoushka on the basis of her private photographs obtained through her e-mail accounts.

The counsel denied all charges against him saying that Khan, a sub-dealer in a share trading firm in Mumbai, was using Wi-Fi network which might have been used by some unscrupulous elements. Khan's plea for bail had earlier been refused by the court.