Ludhiana: Gangster ‘Landa’ rings up jewellery shop, demands ₹15L

A jewellery showroom in Ludhiana received an extortion call demanding ₹15 lakh from a man claiming to be Cananda-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa

A jewellery showroom in Ludhiana received an extortion call demanding ₹15 lakh from a man claiming to be Cananda-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa.

probe being conducted on whether extortion call was made by Landa or a poser. (HT Photo)

The complainant, Amit Kumar of City Enclave, Dhandra Road, who works in the marketing department of Ganpati Jewellers, said he the extortion call was received from an international number on the official number of the showroom.

The caller told him that if he didn’t pay up, he would meet the same fate as Gurjant Singh, a shopkeeper from Rasoolpur village, Tarn Taran, who was shot dead on October 11 for reportedly refusing to pay ₹20 lakh extortion money. Landa had taken responsibility for the murder from his alleged Facebook account.

Amit stated that he disconnected the call, but the accused kept on calling back, to which he didn’t respond.

Sub inspector Neeraj Chaudhary, station house officer at Division Number 8 police station, said a case has been registered under Sections 387 (putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt in order to commit extortion) of Indian Penal Code. It is being investigated whether the caller was Landa or an imposter.

After the broad daylight murder of singer turned politician Sidhu Moose Wala in Mansa, incidents of city residents receiving extortion calls from people claiming to be notorious gangsters have seen a sharp increase. The Ludhiana city police had also busted a gang of miscreants who used to make such calls posing as gangsters.