Rs 91 lakh haul exposes Lawrence Bishnoi-linked extortion racket in Rajasthan and Punjab

According to an officer, their questioning led to significant revelations, prompting senior police officers from Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jodhpur and Bikaner to join the investigation.

This is the first time the Rajasthan Police have tracked a money trail back to the Bishnoi gang, Superintendent of Police Amrita Duhan said.

“The gang, some of whose members operated from aborad, would threaten businessmen and extorted crores of rupees. Acting on specific inputs, Raisinghnagar police intercepted a vehicle that was owned by a city tailor but driven by the three men, none of whom could give any satisfactory explanation on why they were carrying such a large sum of money. A search of the car led to the recovery of three bags containing Rs 91 lakh,” the officer said.

According to police, the money was being sent to Raisinghnagar and further to Punjab, with the three men acting as couriers. As the probe widened, several suspects were rounded up from Punjab and Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, as investigators from other police units descended on Raisinghnagar, entry to the police station was restricted. Police said other agencies, including the Income Tax Department, could join the questioning.

According to SP Duhan, one of the suspects, Kuldeep, had claimed that he was on his way to Jodhpur on the instructions of his son Yogesh, who in turn was acting on the directions of a resident of Punjab’s Abohar, Sahil Bishnoi. Yogesh has been detained, and investigators claim that Bishnoi had links with Arzoo Bishnoi, a close aide of Lawrence Bishnoi, whom he had met through his cousin Akshay.

According to police, neither Kuldeep nor Yogesh had any criminal antecedents. Meanwhile, Sahil Bishnoi, Akshay Kumar and Arzoo Bishnoi are suspected to be key operatives of the Bishnoi gang, with police saying further raids and seizures are expected over the next few days.

Police said this is the first time the Rajasthan Police has traced a money trail of a major organised crime syndicate. “Earlier, gang members were arrested for shootings or threats, but this is the first time the police have successfully reached and disrupted the money trail,” she said.

Police said the gang used USDT cryptocurrency to move money through channels in Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Haryana. Mule accounts were allegedly opened in the names of unsuspecting individuals to buy and sell USDT, which was later converted into cash.