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Ludhiana: Gangster Amrit Dalam aide arrested in extortion case
DCP Teja said Joen Masih kept changing locations to evade arrest before being apprehended from the city on Wednesday night
The Ludhiana police have arrested Joen Masih, an aide of gangster Amrit Dalam, in connection with an extortion attempt targeting a city jeweller, officials said on Thursday. Joen Masih had been on the run since December 12, when his accomplice Rohin Masih, a resident of Teliawal village in Batala, Gurdaspur district, was arrested following an exchange of fire with the police.
Deputy commissioner of police (Rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said police teams are tracking other accused involved in the extortion racket. He added that both accused have previous criminal records, which are being verified.
According to the police, Joen Masih and Rohin Masih had come to Ludhiana on December 12 to collect ₹10 lakh as extortion money from a jeweller at the behest of Amrit Dalam, who is hiding abroad and allegedly running an extortion racket. Acting on specific inputs, the police laid a trap and warned the accused to surrender. However, the accused allegedly opened fire at the police, prompting retaliatory firing.
During the exchange, Rohin Masih sustained a bullet injury in his leg and was arrested, while Joen Masih managed to flee. Police recovered a country-made .32 bore pistol, two live cartridges, five empty shells, two bags and a motorcycle without number plates from the spot.
DCP Teja said Joen Masih kept changing locations to evade arrest before being apprehended from the city on Wednesday night.
He further revealed that the jeweller had received a WhatsApp call demanding ₹1 crore, with the caller claiming to be associated with the Amrit Dalam group, which is linked to gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Following the complaint, Division No 7 police registered an FIR on December 4. Another extortion call was made on December 11, reiterating the demand.
The Amrit Dalam group is an overseas-based criminal network linked to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang and is allegedly involved in extortion, contract killings and arms smuggling.
