The man behind the world’s cheapest smartphone has been arrested for extortion

• Police have arrested a gang of three, including Mohit Goel, for extorting money.
  
• The extortion money was to settle a gang rape case.
  
• An amount of ₹50 million was demanded from the people involved.

Mohit Goel, a partner in the Noida-based Ringing Bells, a company that sold the Freedom 251, the world's cheapest smartphone that costs a meagre ₹251, was arrested with two others in an alleged extortion case in New Delhi. Three individuals including Goel, his cousin and a woman were trying to extort money from five businessmen in order to settle a gang rape case out of court.

A case was lodged by the woman with the Alwar district police, in Rajasthan, India, on 6 March in which she claimed she was raped by five businessmen who invited her to attend an event at a hotel.

All the five accused were subsequently arrested.

However, the same businessmen lodged a complaint against their accuser and her two accomplices at the Netaji Subhash Place police station for extortion.The police arrested all three for colluding and trying to take money from the businessmen in return for withdrawing the rape case.

The gang had reportedly made a demand of ₹50 million from the businessman as a fee for settling the case out of courts. On 11 June, the alleged rape victim along with the accused, arrived at the businessman's office to pick up the extortion money where they were apprehended on the spot.