Extortion racket being run by gangster from Rohini jail busted; nine arrested, juvenile detained

Police Tuesday claimed to have busted an extortion racket, allegedly being run from Rohini jail by jailed gangster Saddam Gauri, and arrested him and eight others

Police Tuesday claimed to have busted an extortion racket, allegedly being run from Rohini jail by jailed gangster Saddam Gauri, and arrested him and eight others in connection with an extortion case lodged by a businessman last month. Apart from the nine, a juvenile has also been apprehended in the case, police said.

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Police identified the arrested persons as Deepak alias Boonda, Surender alias Sheru, Saddam Gauri, who is lodged in Rohini Jail, Deepak’s wife Neha Kakkar, Surender’s wife Sonia, Kuldeep alias Sonu, Raj Kumar, Shiva alias Bholu, and Satish aka Kallu.

A motorcycle, three pistols, three cellphones used for making the extortion calls and a car were recovered from them, deputy commissioner of police (west) Deepak Purohit said.

According to the West Delhi-based businessman’s complaint, on September 2, three persons had opened fire at his office in an attempt to intimidate him into paying up protection money, police said. Two of the suspects, Deepak alias Boonda and Surender alias Sheru, were arrested by a special cell team following an encounter in Vikaspuri a fortnight ago. The juvenile suspect was later detained in connection with the shooting, police said.

Police said the juvenile and the other seven persons were apprehended over the past 20 days by the Rajouri Garden police station team, which has been probing the extortion case lodged on the businessman’s complaint.

The same team was also probing a similar case, in which Deepak and Surender, on September 21, had allegedly shot at their rival, Raju Khan, after he refused to pay “protection money” to them, said a senior police officer associated with both cases.

“The mastermind of this extortion syndicate is Gauri, who is currently lodged in Rohini Jail in connection with a MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) case and on charges of murder and attempt to murder. He was running the racket from inside the jail. This gang has created terror among traders in west Delhi. They made extortion calls through the internet and various mobile applications to avoid detection,” said DCP Purohit.

Director general, Delhi prisons, Sandeep Goel said, “Search operations and surprise searches are being carried out in the barracks to confiscate cellphones whenever any information regarding the use of phones is brought to our notice. We take strict actions against inmates from whose possession the phones are recovered. Also, action is taken against jail officials who smuggle in phones and other banned items to inmates.”

The west Delhi businessman, in his complaint, had said that was not present in his office when around 6.30pm on September 2, Deepak and Surender arrived and fired three shots at his office, shattering the glass door. Three people who were inside at the time escaped unhurt as they had rushed out of the office. The duo then picked up the digital video recorder of the CCTV cameras and fled, said an investigator, quoting from the complaint.

Police said the following day, the wives of the two suspects reached the businessman’s office and threatened that they would kill him if he did not pay ₹70 lakh as protection money. The businessman went to the Rajouri Garden police station on September 4 and filed a complaint.

“While the special cell team arrested Deepak and Surender, the local police caught the remaining suspects,” added the officer.

Interrogation of the arrested persons, the officer said, revealed that Deepak and Surender fired the shots and demanded extortion money on the directions of Gauri, who had been making the extortion calls from jail. The other arrested persons provided logistical support and safe hideouts to Deepak and Surender, DCP Purohit said.