NILLUMBIK: Eltham man in Court over blackmail allegation
n Detectives from Taskforce Hawk last Thursday (Feb. 12) charged two men as part of an investigation into blackmail.
A 32-year-old El-tham man was char-ged with blackmail and fail to comply direction to assist (fail to provide pin code).
The man was to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
A 32-year-old Wat-sonia man was char-ged with fail to comply direction to assist (fail to provide pin code).
He was bailed to appear at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on April 2.
A 55-year-old Mernda man was released.
The charges relate to allegations of blackmail at a business in Brooklyn on January 19, when a demand was allegedly made for the victim to pay $663,000.
Operation Hawk was established in July 2024 to specifically target criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry and trans-itioned to Taskforce Hawk in June 2025.
This was in response to a number of fresh allegations of serious and violent criminal behaviour.
Taskforce Hawk is focused on assessing new intelligence and evidence relating to allegations of criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry.
It also continues to proactively target organised crime associated with the sector, including a focus on any individuals employed within the construction industry who have known links to outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Police are also instigating approaches with relevant industry stakeholders to gather intelligence, as well as working closely with a range of law enforcement partners, regulators and government authorities.
The investigation remains ongoing.