Foreign-based gangster Monty Maan under police lens for extortions on phone

Police said the gangster’s location was traced to California last year, when complaints about the extortions came in. His whereabouts are yet to be ascertained

New Delhi

Police are analysing calls made by Maan. (Getty Images)

Delhi Police have initiated a probe against fugitive gangster Monty Maan reportedly operating from a foreign country, either California in the USA or from Jordan, who has extorted several businessmen and realtors in Delhi over the phone since last November.

Police said the gangster’s location was traced to California last year, when complaints about the extortions came in. His whereabouts are yet to be ascertained.

A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said, “It was found that Maan would use a single phone number, registered in the US, to make extortion calls using internet applications. He works odd jobs there... such as a housekeeper and at grocery stores. Last month, he was in the US. We don’t know if he is still here.”

Besides extortions, Maan allegedly threatened a policeman investigating a case, an officer said. He is a known associate of slain gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi, who was gunned down in the Rohini court in 2021 by his rivals from the Tillu gang.

Police said a businessman approached the Alipur police on July 3, alleging he had been harassed by Maan and his aides for a month. Maan would call his associates in Delhi, who provided him with numbers of their targets, following which Maan would call them, they said.

Following the complaint, the police asked the businessman to set up a meeting with Maan’s aides on July 5 and duly arrested two of them, identified as Praveen Bhugda and Gurudev alias Kaala.

“Bhugda was the mediator. He would decide how much money should be extorted. Gurudev would threaten the victims and ask them to pay money at the earliest,” the senior police officer said.

Police said that following the arrests, they found Maan’s involvement in over six cases in the area. “We have found other victims, but many are not ready to give complaints due to fear. They were all called by the same person using the same phone number. We are still trying to record their statements,” a second investigating officer said.

Discussing the threat call, the officer said the call was from Maan. “The caller had said ‘don’t investigate the case’ and later, when contacted by the police, said ‘you won’t be able to catch me’,” the officer said.

Police said all calls are being analysed. However, the arrested duo got bail as the complainant turned hostile in court.