Jailbirds use wives,consorts to run extortion,sleaze rackets

The Detective Department of the Kolkata Police claims to have stumbled upon at least two instances in which female aides of gangsters cooling their heels at the Alipore Central Correctional Home are acting as point persons to issue threat calls to businessmen and blackmail others.

In the first case,a 23-year-old woman named Barnali Roy alias Silky alias Ishika alias Tua,who is the former wife of gangster Sajal Barui,runs a sleaze racket and gets instructions from Barui through mobile phones.

CID sources said Barnali often visits Sajal in jail and carries along with her items that he needs,in connivance with the prison staff.

They said Barnali,who is a cousin sister of Sajal,married him after the two fled to Mumbai in 2003.

A senior police officer said since Barnali’s father Bikash Roy is a Trinamool leader who has influence in his locality,the police are yet to get hold of her.

When The Indian Express team reached the one-room shelter of Barnali Roy located in a narrow alley near Raja Dinendra Street at Maniktala in north Kolkata,Anima Roy,Barnali’s mother,denied access to her daughter,saying she was married off and now lives at Kestopur with her husband.

Anima said Barnali,a school drop-out,has no truck with Sajal.

A senior CID official,however,said Barnali who has a son from her marriage with Sajal before she married a local youth,is still in touch with Sajal.

“In 2003,after Sajal fled from the jail,he left for Mumbai and married a girl,identified as Silky. Barnali alias Silky alias Tua is Sajal’s cousin sister.

Returning to the city a few months ago,Sajal sent his wife to stay with a relative in Asansol,where she gave birth to a son. The boy is called Nanha.

However,in 2006,after Sajal was recaptured,Silky returned to his house at Raja Dinedra Street and married Bachhu Roy,a local youth. However,Barnali still maintains links with Sajal,” he said.

According to the CID official,Sajal later ventured into the sleaze rackets in Salt Lake and the eastern pockets of the city using Ishika.

“Ishika alias Silky alias Tua was often used to lure boys and their girlfriends. She would capture their private moments on a concealed camera and then blackmail them.”

In another instance,a jailed gangster named Gopal Tiwari allegedly runs his extortion racket with the help of his wife. A police officer of Burrabazzar police station said,“We receive several verbal complaints from the businessmen of Burrabazzar that they have to pay extortion money to Gopal Tiwai every month,though Tiwari is in jail. Since nobody filed a complaint,we cannot investigate the matter.”

According to sources,Tiwari’s aide Ajit Singh,who operates in the Burrabazzar area,first identifies the prey and makes them speak to Tiwari over phone.

Once the threat is conveyed,Gopal’s wife Laxmi collects

Rs 50,000-70,000 from the businessmen.

“Scared businessmen verbally complain to us but do not agree to file an FIR against Tiwari. However,we are looking into the matter,” said a senior official of Burrabazzar police station.

When contacted,Biswanath Chowdhury,the Minister for

Prisons, said: “We do not have any information in this regard. I will check with this matter with my officers.”