Dandenong blackmail attempt: daughter saves dad Ram Kishor from nephew extortionist
A quick-thinking daughter who saved her dad from a terrifying kidnapping and extortion attempt by his own nephew has been lauded by a judge. Here’s how she did it.
South East
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A quick-thinking daughter who saved her dad from a terrifying kidnapping and extortion attempt has been lauded by a judge.
Ram Kishor was left “betrayed, isolated and tormented” after he was lured to a Dandenong North unit on November 10, 2017.
Mr Kishor, an electrician, believed he was doing a job but instead had walked into a trap laid by his nephew Sanjesh Charan.
Charan and criminal accomplices Theodore Alexiou and Daryl Cropley forced Mr Kishor into a chair, and would not let him leave.
Charan demanded Mr Kishor hand over $47,500, which he believed was owed to him.
In the meantime, Alexiou stole a wallet containing $1500 and a credit card from Mr Kishor’s car and made several unsuccessful attempts to withdraw cash from an ATM.
Alexiou and Charan then drove Mr Kishor to a bank where the terrified father had a knife pulled on him after his unsuccessful attempt to withdraw cash.
Mr Kishor told the pair he had to go home to get his passbook and they drove him home and allowed him to go inside unaccompanied.
Mr Kishor’s daughter caught on to the situation and phoned police who arrived almost immediately.
Charan and Alexiou ran off but both were arrested within days.
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Cropley was arrested at his home almost a month later where police found knuckledusters, a taser and stolen items.
All three were sentenced in the County Court on June 19 after pleading guilty to numerous charges including blackmail and theft.
Cropley also pleaded guilty to false imprisonment.
Judge Richard Smith hailed Mr Kishor’s daughter for saving her dad.
“Only the quick report of Mr Kishor’s daughter to police and the prompt arrival of police at his home prevented further serious offending,” he said.
“The crimes had a major effect on him, he can’t work because he’s shaky, scared and unconfident.
“Mr Kishor feels hurt, betrayed, sad, stressed, fearful, depressed, disappointed, isolated, victimised, tormented and lonely, he has trouble sleeping and he trembles while socialising.”
Judge Smith said Charan — who has a lengthy criminal record — was the “organiser”.
“You decided to take the law into your own hands,” he said.
Charan, 42, was sentenced to 31 months with a non-parole period of 20 months, minus the 580 days already spent in prison at the time of sentencing.
Alexiou, a longtime crook with a “40 page” criminal record, was sentenced to 25 months with a non-parole period of 18 months.
He had spent 558 days in custody and was immediately eligible to apply for parole at the time of sentencing.
Cropley, 34, was given a two month sentence which had been served at the time of sentencing.
He walked free from court with a two year community corrections order.