Labourer who threatened Zeeshan Siddique also tried to extort ₹5 crore from cricketer Rinku Singh
A Bihar laborer, Mohammad Naushad, arrested at Mumbai airport, allegedly extorted NCP leader Zeeshan Siddique and cricketer Rinku Singh using Dawood Ibrahim's name.
MUMBAI: The 33-year-old labourer arrested at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) for allegedly threatening Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Zeeshan Siddique had also issued extortion threats to Indian cricketer Rinku Singh in the name of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, police officers said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Dilshad Mohammad Naushad, a resident of Bihar who worked as a daily wage labourer in Trinidad and Tobago, was detained by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch on August 1, soon after he landed in Mumbai from the Caribbean. A lookout circular had been issued against him in May after investigators traced the threatening emails to his IP address abroad.
According to police officials, Naushad had sent multiple emails to Zeeshan Siddique in April, demanding ₹10 crore and claiming to be associated with Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company. In these messages, he referred to the murder of Zeeshan’s father, former MLA Baba Siddique, asserting that D-Company — and not the Lawrence Bishnoi gang — was behind the killing.
“It was sad that after Baba Siddique’s killing, fake news about Lawrence Bishnoi being behind it was planted. It was done by someone else but that is the past. Now I want ₹10 crore from your family for protection and you have two days to pay,” one of the emails stated. Another warned, “Please don’t involve the police. This incident could happen with you; so be careful… D-Company.”
The investigation further revealed that Naushad had also sent extortion messages to cricketer Rinku Singh through an email account linked to the batsman’s brand campaign. In his first message on February 5, Naushad requested financial help, but later on April 9, he demanded ₹5 crore, again invoking the name of Dawood’s gang. On April 20, he sent a reminder email reiterating the threat.
Police have recorded the statement of Rinku Singh’s brand manager, who confirmed receiving an email in the name of D-Company. However, no separate FIR has been registered so far regarding the threats to the cricketer.
A police officer said, “The accused initially sought help from Rinku Singh’s publicity team, but later escalated the communication into a threat demanding money on behalf of D-Company. He has also sent similar messages to a few other individuals.”
