Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 385
repealedPutting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion
Whoever, in order to the committing of extortion, puts any person in fear, or attempts to put any person in fear, of any injury, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
Why this exists
This section punishes the preparatory act of trying to frighten someone for the purpose of extortion, even if the attempt fails and no property is ever actually handed over. The law recognises that creating fear with extortionate intent is itself dangerous and worth punishing on its own, so that a person cannot escape liability simply because the victim did not ultimately give in to the threat. A similar provision for attempted extortion by creating fear continues under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code in 2024.