Three minors among eight arrested in major extortion bust in Delhi

Police said all the suspects were aged below 25 years and had links with gangsters Goldy Brar, Lawrence Bishnoi and Kala Jathedi

New Delhi: Eight suspects, including three minors, were held in three separate crackdowns on alleged extortion modules being run in north Indian cities by gangsters Goldy Brar, Lawrence Bishnoi and Kala Jathedi, the Delhi Police’s crime branch said on Friday.

Police said that the gangsters would recruit the young men from rural parts of Delhi. (Image for representation)

All the eight suspects are below the age of 25 years, said Ravindra Yadav, special commissioner of police (crime branch).

“The gangsters are exploiting minors and the younger population by promising them power in the groups. However, all the proceeds of the crime are going to the big players while these foot soldiers receive ₹10,000-15,000 for dangerous assignments,” Yadav said.

The latest case pertains to the extortion of a businessman from Hari Nagar near Ashram in March and April this year. The businessman received multiple extortion demands on his phone. When he refused to pay, some suspects fired at a house in the neighbourhood believing it to be his, said Yadav. Two minors and an adult were caught following a brief scuffle with the police in Dhaula Kuan on Thursday, Yadav said.

Another case involves the arrest of two alleged Jathedi-Bishnoi associates — Sameer, 18, and a minor — from Hiran Kudna road on May 5. On April 27, the duo allegedly shot at a property dealer and a friend at their office in Narela after they refused to yield to their extortion demands.

The first of these cases was busted earlier this week when the crime branch arrested three alleged Jathedi-Bishnoi associates who had allegedly tried to extort from an electronics showroom in Qutabgarh, said Yadav. They were nabbed following a brief scuffle with the police in Rohini Sector 34, Yadav added.

Yadav said that six firearms and several cartridges have been recovered from the eight members.

“Our investigations revealed that the gangsters sitting in foreign countries are hiring young members from rural parts of cities. It has been difficult for us to identify these new members on CCTV footage as these gangs constantly get newer faces,” said Yadav.

Since the gangsters are operating from abroad, it has made it difficult for the law enforcement agencies to track their funds, the officer added. While Brar is allegedly hiding abroad, Jathedi and Bishnoi are in jail.