Mumbai, February 8: The Mumbai police have booked two businessmen, identified as Daksh Trivedi and Prakash Kanani, for alleged extortion and criminal intimidation. It is learned that the accused allegedly tried to extort and threaten Rahul Leekha 42), owner and director of the popular coffee chain "Coffee By Di Bella". The duo have also been booked for threatening to kill Rahul, his wife and his five-year-old daughter over a business dispute.

An FIR in connection with the incident was registered on Thursday, February 6. In his complaint, Rahul Leekha said that he came in contact with Daksh Trivedi, a resident of Jamnagar, Gujarat, in 2022, reports FPJ. Back then, Trivedi proposed a business partnership to Leekha to run a cafe with two other partners, Umang Shah and Milap Shah. It is reported that Leekha agreed, and a year later, they signed an agreement for a new business venture. Who Is Mohini Mohan Dutta, Mystery Man Who May Inherit Ratan Tata’s INR 500 Crore?

The complainant said that he allowed the three partners to use his cafe's name and rights in Gujarat as per the agreement. However, after the business began, Leekha learned that his partners had allegedly violated the terms and conditions of the agreement. On October 4 last year, Leekha cancelled the agreement and sent legal notices to Trivedi, Umang, and Milap.

As per the report, Leekha had provided raw materials, royalties, and other expenses worth INR 2 crore to the trio as per the agreement. In his notice, Leekha demanded that they return the amount; however, the accused avoided the same for the past one and a half years. On the other hand, the trio claimed that they invested money in the café business and demanded money from Leekha.

Following this, Leekha approached the police and lodged a complaint against the trio. Last month, a man named Prakash Kanani contacted Leekha and introduced himself as an acquaintance of Trivedi. It is reported that Kananai allegedly threatened Leekha to settle the matter with Trivedi and his two partners. Leekha also said that Kanani threatened that Leekha, his wife and daughter would be killed if he failed to comply. Who Is Ahmed Al-Sharaa? All You Need To Know About Rebel Leader Appointed Interim President of Syria.

The next day, Kanani contacted Leekha again and threatened him to withdraw the complaint from the Mahim police station. It is also claimed that Kanani threatened that he would have Leekha and his family killed using the Gujarat police. The same day, Kanani threatened Leekha and demanded to settle the matter for INR 3 crore, of which INR 1.5 crore would be kept by Leekha. During the call, Trivedi also spoke with Leekha.

Who Is Rahul Leekha?

Rahul Leekha is the owner and director of "Coffee By Di Bella". A resident of Khar, Leekha operates 15 cafes across various areas under his business. He is also part of the Managing Committee of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). Leekha did his education from Maneckji Cooper and worked in different roles, such as Research Analyst, Director, etc, in his career.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 08, 2025 09:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).