Ringing Bells founder held for ‘extortion’

NEW DELHI: The founder of Ringing Bells—which offered the world’s cheapest smartphone, Freedom 251—was arrested on Sunday evening from Netaji Subhash Place in northwest Delhi.


The founder, Mohit Goel, was found to be part of a plan in which he, along with a woman and another aide, was trying to extort money from the complainant after implicating him in a gang-rape case in Rajasthan. DCP (northwest) Aslam Khan confirmed Goel’s involvement in the extortion case. The woman was also arrested.

Earlier, the woman involved in the conspiracy had complained in Rajasthan’s

Alwar

that she was gang-raped by five people in a hotel. She told the cops that she was invited at an event. Later, she was allegedly taken to a hotel room and offered a drink laced with sedatives. She accused five people of raping her in the room.

However, during the course of investigation, cops found out that the woman had been threatening the complainant and asking him for money. She, along with her aides, was negotiating a deal with the complainant for taking back the rape case. The man had already paid more than Rs 1.1 crore to the woman and her associates, but she was asking for more money.

The businessman then told the police about the threats and atrap was set in his office. Investigating officers said they had finalised a deal for Rs 2.5 crore to take back the case.