E-Paper
Extortionists demand ₹30 lakh; open fire in front of man’s house in Ludhiana
BRAZEN Call farmer, owner of 32 acres, via WhatsApp, threatening to kill him and his family members.
Police are scrambling for leads after unidentified men demanded ₹30 lakh as extortion money from a farmer and opened fire outside his house in Jagraon’s Dholan village on February 18.
Calling through different international numbers, the accused have threatened to kill the farmer and his family members, police said.
The Sadar police of Jagraon registered a case on Monday and launched an investigation to trace the extortionists.
Earlier, investigators had recovered five shells from outside the house of the farmer, who owns 32 acres.
Amanbir Singh, 26, of Dholan village, said while he was in Jagraon city on February 18, he received a WhatsApp call from an international number. The caller claimed to be calling from Canada, and demanded ₹30 lakh as extortion money.
The accused also threatened him of not taking his threats lightly, adding that he would know how dangerous they were on reaching home.
Amanbir said when he rushed back home, his mother Jagpal Kaur told him that someone fired gunshots outside their house.
Another threat call followed on February 20, this time from another number, following which Amanbir approached the police for protection.
Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Gurdeep Singh, in-charge, Chowkimaan police post, said the accused seemed to be known to the family. They appeared to be using a software to reflect international phone numbers on the mobile screen.
A case under Section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code, and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act was registered against the unidentified accused on Monday.
NOT A FIRST
December 20, 2019: A head constable, Balvir Singh, was arrested for extorting ₹6 lakh from a pharmacist, Swaran Singh Bedi, of Rajguru Nagar over six months. The victim’s pharmacy is located in BRS Nagar
October 20, 2019: A man named Chhota Lalla was stabbed to death when he, along with his accomplice, had gone to extort money from firecracker traders
October 14, 2019: A head constable was booked for allegedly extorting ₹1.8 lakh from an Atal Nagar resident for helping him get his son acquitted in a murder case
August 29, 2019: Police had arrested a former sarpanch and his accomplice for extorting money from a dairy owner by threatening to implicate him in false case of rape and molestation.
