Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 387
repealedPutting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion
Whoever in order to the committing of extortion, puts or attempts to put any person in fear of death or of grievous hurt to that person or to any other, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Why this exists
This section covers the attempt stage of the more serious extortion offence involving threats of death or grievous hurt, punishing the act of creating or trying to create such extreme fear even before any property is actually obtained. It exists so that a person making death threats for extortion cannot avoid punishment simply because the victim resisted or the plan was interrupted before money or property changed hands. A similar provision continues under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code in 2024.