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Death threats, extortion calls to Haryana MLAs: Gang of criminals busted, 6 held
Haryana Police said to have busted a gang of criminals having links with Pakistan and Middle East-based fraudsters involved in money laundering and behind recent death threats and extortion calls to four Haryana MLAs
With the arrest of six Bihar and Uttar Pradesh residents, the Haryana Police on Sunday said to have busted a gang of criminals having links with Pakistan and Middle East-based fraudsters involved in money laundering and behind the recent death threats and extortion calls to four Haryana legislators.
Following interrogation of the accused arrested from Mumbai and Bihar after tracking and tracing their hideouts during the two-week long operation involving central agencies also, the Haryana Police said that there were approximately 10 Pakistani residents through whom the threats and extortion calls were routed.
Police said some ex-MLAs of Punjab had also received similar threats from these numbers. Different tones and conversational styles, like Mumbaikar tone and Punjabi language, were used during these conversations with these MLAs.
“This in fact is a gang of very sharp criminals who are involved in professional fraud, money laundering and have their members across Pakistan, Middle East and India,” the Haryana Police said.
“Four Haryana MLAs, who had received death threat and extortion calls from multiple phone numbers between June 24 and June 28, were traced to the countries in the Middle East,” police said, adding the technical analysis of these mobile numbers confirmed that these numbers are registered in the middle eastern countries and were being operated from Pakistan.
After the legislators received the threats, the first information reports (FIRs) were lodged and director general of police (DGP) PK Agrawal had handed over the investigation to Special Task Force (STF).
The STF aided by the central agencies conducted a technical analysis of these mobile numbers and IP addresses involving five separate teams that worked on this technical analysis. Police said the STF strategically crafted a plan through which the STF team started receiving these threat and extortion calls. The STF accordingly asked the account number and mobile numbers to complete the transaction with the extortionists. To track these account numbers, two parallel teams conducted raids across Mumbai and Mujjafarpur in Bihar.
The two members of this gang arrested from Mumbai are Dulesh Alam of Betia in Bihar and Badre Alam of Basti in UP. Police said both accused were found in the possession of about 20 passbook/cheque books, 18 ATMs, 14 fake SIM cards, one diary and five mobile phones.
Similarly, the police conducted raids in Mujjafarpur in Bihar and arrested four culprits who are residents of Bihar. The arrested accused are Amit Yadav, aka Radheshyam Yadav; Saddiq Anwar, Sanoj Kumar and Kash Alam. The police recovered two passbook/cheque books, two diaries, one register, 42 SIM cards, 19 mobile phones, 37 ATMs.
“Till date, a total of 55 ATMs, 24 mobile phones, 56 SIM cards, 22 passbook/cheque books, ₹3.97 lakh, one car TATA Punch, three diaries and one register have been found in the possession of the accused,” said police.
The police said it was found that these people often enticed the poor or the common man by offering them ₹15,000-20,000 and convinced them to open bank accounts and would then keep all the documents (passbook/cheque book/ATM card/ATM pin) with themselves and buy fake SIM cards to operate these accounts. During these raids, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, STF Bihar and Bihar Police offered complete support to the STF.
“During interrogation, the STF found approximately 10 Pakistani residents through whom the threats and extortion were routed. It is important to clarify that these accused do not belong to any criminal gang or terrorist organisation. This in fact is a gang of very sharp criminals who are involved in professional fraud, money laundering and have their members across Pakistan, Middle East and India,” police said.
People sitting across these and other countries would entice victims by naming “Kaun Banega Crorepati” or lotteries or by extortion calls and would make them transfer money to the account numbers given by Dulesh or Amit. Both of them then either withdraw this money via ATMs or would transfer this amount to the Indian accounts of their Pakistan-based gang members, police said.
