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Ludhiana | Gangsters seek ₹3 crore extortion money from industrialist, fire in air to threaten him
A passerby, suspecting that the accused had opened fire with intention to threaten him, lodged an FIR against the unidentified accused. On Friday, Ludhiana industrialist Subhash Arora contacted the police, claiming that he was the target of the assailants, who demanded extortion money from him
An unidentified caller, claiming to be a gangster, sought ₹3 crore extortion money from a Model Town-based industrialist. On being refused, three assailants fired in the air in front of the vicitm’s family members in Bhola Colony.
Later, the accused threatened to kill him and his family members.
A passerby, suspecting that the accused had opened fire with intention to threaten him, lodged an FIR against the unidentified accused. On Friday, the industrialist Subhash Arora contacted the police, claiming that he was the target of the assailants.
Sub-inspector Satbir Singh, the investigating officer, said on June 15, Ajay Kumar of Sector 32-A, Chandigarh road, filed a complaint to the police stating that he, along with his brother, was returning from their factory. While, he was driving Hyundai Creta car, his brother was plying ahead of him in his Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire car.
Ajay Kumar said another Creta Car was plying ahead of them. There was a traffic jam near Bhola Colony. Meanwhile, motorcycle-borne three miscreants turned up there, and looked into his car and opened three fires in the air before fleeing.
“While the police were investigating the case, Subhash Arora stated that the bullets were fired to threaten him, as he was receiving extortion calls from unknown numbers. He added that after opening fire, the accused called him and threatened again,” the sub-inspector said, adding that they had initiated a probe and were trying to trace the accused.
A case under Section 336 of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been lodged against the unidentified accused.
Posing as gangster, friend bids to extort ₹2 crore from realtor
A realtor, along with his two aides, hatched a conspiracy to seek ₹2 crore extortion money from his friend. The accused made threatening calls, and had also set the tyre of vicitm‘s car, parked outside the office, on fire in a bid to threaten him.
The police have arrested the realtor— Sham Lal of Jawahar Nagar Camp, and his aides— Ravinder Kumar of Jassian Road of Haibowal and Sunny Kumar of Valipur village of Meharban. The accused had snatched a mobile phone from a labourer to make the extortion call; the mobile was later dumped into the Buddha Nullah.
Commissioner of police Kaustubh Sharma said a realtor Pooran Chand, 50, of Royal City, Jalandhar Bypass, filed a complaint that he received a threatening call from an unknown number in the first week of June. The caller claimed to be a gangster and demanded ₹2 crore as extortion money, threatening him with dire consequences, Chand said.
The police traced the number used by the caller and reached Baranhara village of Humran. The owner of the mobile phone, a labourer, claimed that his mobile phone was snatched by bike-borne two miscreants when he was returning home. He had informed the village sarpanch about the snatching.
On June 8, the accused set the tyre of Chand’s car on fire by pouring petrol on it, and again called him, asking for the money.
The Salem Tabri police had lodged an FIR against the unidentified accused under Sections 384, 506, 511, 427 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and initiated an investigation. On Thursday, the police arrested the accused.
Joint commissioner of police (JCP, city) Narinder Bhargav said Sham Lal is a close friend of the victim, and he was well-known about his financial condition. With intention to extort money from him, he involved another realtor Ravinder Kumar and his cousin Sunny Kumar in the crime.
During investigation, Sham Lal stated that both his sons study abroad, and to finance their expenses, he committed the crime.
Inspector Beant Juneja, in-charge at CIA staff 2, said the accused were produced before the court on Friday. The court has sent the accused on two days’ police remand.
