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Chandigarh Police bust extortion ring being run by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi
Gang’s sharpshooter Inderpreet Singh, alias Parry, nabbed with arms and ammunition from Sector 33 in Chandigarh; raids underway for more members
The Chandigarh Police have uncovered an extortion racket being run by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi with the arrest of his aide Inderpreet Singh, alias Parry.
Probing into extortion calls to owners of multiple clubs, restaurants and other businesses in the city, police zeroed in on Inderpreet, 32, and nabbed him from his house in Sector 33 on Wednesday.
Multiple weapons and ammunition, including a rifle and a glock, along with around 100 live cartridges, were recovered from the house, said police.
The arrest came following a tip to the UT police’s operations cell that Inderpreet, a sharpshooter of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was present in Sector 33 with weapons.
Inderpreet was previously arrested in 2017 for sheltering Bhola Shooter, a close aide of Bishnoi, after he allegedly murdered rival gangster Lavi Deora at a fair in Kotkapura, Punjab, on July 15, 2017.
Bhola, who was eventually caught and lodged in the Ferozepur jail, had died under mysterious circumstances earlier in March this year.
Inderpreet had once also helped Bishnoi escape from the custody of Punjab Police near Landran, Kharar, and had been helping the gang with money and communication.
Sources in the police said after getting out of jail on bail a few months ago, Inderpreet started making extortion calls at the behest of Bishnoi, who is lodged in a jail in Rajasthan.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal said, “Inderpreet is in police remand now and will be interrogated about the people the gang targeted for extortion and how much money was demanded from them.”
On his disclosures, more people involved in the racket are being tracked down. Among them are Rajesh Paswan of Sector 56; Deepak Kundu, alias Billa, of Sector 26; Amardeep Singh, alias Mani, of Zirakpur, Mohali; Jacky of Sector 5, Panchkula; and Karan Banur of Banur, Patiala.
Another gang member Satbir Gujjar of Bhainsa Tibba, Panchkula, was arrested earlier on February 11 after a country made pistol and five live cartridges were recovered from him in Sector 26 near St Kabir School in Sector 26.
A fresh case under Sections 384 (extortion) and 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act has been registered against all the accused at the Sector 26 police station.
Arrest leaves residents alarmed
Following the sharpshooter’s arrest, residents of Sector 33 spoke out strongly against the presence of a gangster in the locality.
General secretary of the Sector 33-B RWA, Kuljinder Sra said, “Police need to increase their intelligence on the ground. Many senior and retired officers live here and often rent out their houses without tenant verification. The presence of an armed gangster in a residential area is extremely dangerous. The police must remain more vigilant.”
Earlier in February, the operations cell had arrested Manjit Singh, another associate of Bishnoi, for allegedly extorting money from a transporter, Angrej Singh Virk, a resident of Sector 32.
Three people were arrested on October 15, 2020, after Tinku, who operates a hotel in Kajheri, complained that he was receiving extortion calls from people claiming to be from the Bishnoi gang.
In 2018, Bishnoi’s close aide Sampat Nehra had made a call to the owner of Kumar Brothers, a well-known chemist shop in Sector 11, and demanded ₹1 crore from him.
While Bishnoi remains lodged in jail and many other members of his gang are also behind the bars in various states, the gang has been carrying out their criminal activities through mobile phone communication.
