Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 383
repealedExtortion
Whoever intentionally puts any person in fear of any injury to that person, or to any other, and thereby dishonestly induces the person so put in fear to deliver to any person any property, or valuable security or anything signed or sealed which may be converted into a valuable security, commits “extortion”.
Why this exists
This section defines extortion as a distinct offence from theft, because here the victim actually hands over the property themselves, though only because they have been frightened into doing so, rather than the offender simply taking it. The law recognises that fear can be just as coercive as physical force in making a person give up their belongings, so it punishes this manipulation of fear as its own category of crime. A similarly worded extortion offence continues under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code in 2024.
Common misconceptions
- Myth: Extortion only happens if actual physical harm occurs.
Fact: The offence is complete once fear of injury is created and it dishonestly causes the victim to hand over property; no actual harm needs to occur.