NEW DELHI, Aug 23: Extortion calls from foreign-based gangsters continue to give sleepless nights to Delhi’s businessmen as three such cases have been reported in the last 10 days from separate areas of the city, official sources said on Friday.
They said the calls were made in the names of fugitives Anmol Bishnoi and Himanshu Bhau to a jeweller in Shahdara, a businessman in Outer Delhi and a property dealer in Dwarka.
Anmol Bishnoi is the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. While Anmol Bishnoi is believed to be hiding in the United States, Bhau is stated to be hiding either in Spain or in Portugal, according to the sources in the Delhi Police.
During one of the calls, the caller reminded the receiver about the Rajouri Garden Burger King case and said “hawa mein goli nahi chalegi (bullets will not be fired in the air)”, the sources said.
According to a police officer, who did not wish to be named, the cases have been registered at the local police stations and transferred to the Special Cell and the Crime Branch for further probe.
The jeweller from Shahdara has got a police complaint filed, stating that a person called him on behalf of the Anmol Bishnoi Gang, demanded Rs 2 crore and asked him to arrange the money in five days. The call was received on Thursday, the officer said.
The Dwarka-based property dealer has told police that he received a call from Bhau on August 15. The Outer Delhi-based businessman also received a call from Bhau on August 14, the sources said.
According to the Delhi Police’s statistics, accessed exclusively by PTI, a total of 133 extortions cases were reported from across the national capital this year, till August 15.
A total of 141 such cases were reported in the same period last year. At least 110 extortion cases were registered in the corresponding period in 2022, according to the statistics.
At least 204 cases of extortion were reported throughout 2023 and 187 in 2022.
A police officer, who often deals with such cases, said the callers mostly use VOIP numbers or WhastApp numbers taken on fake SIM cards.
The sources said police have identified 11 gangs involved in making extortion calls, threatening businessmen, shootings and killings in the National Capital Region in the last few months.
The issue of the growing menace of these gangs was raised in an interstate meeting held at the Delhi Police headquarters earlier this month. Officers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan also attended the meeting.
The police commissioner had directed the officers to curb the activities of these gangs by invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and other stringent local laws wherever applicable. The MCOCA is also applicable in Delhi. (PTI)
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