Claiming to be a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Maharashtra man makes extortion calls to his employer, gets arrested

According to the police, the complainant, 58, is a resident of Goregaon (West) and is in the chemical business. He alleged that on August 26, he received a call from an unknown number, and the caller claimed to be a member of the Bishnoi Gang. The accused allegedly threatened him, saying that he had a contract to kill him. He further said that the gang had paid him Rs 25 lakh and one kilogram of gold to kill him, and if the businessman and his family wanted to be alive, then he would have to pay him more.

The complainant immediately approached the Goregaon police, and a case of extortion was registered against the unknown person, said Sandip Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 11).

During the investigation, when we learnt that the caller said that he would not cause any harm if he got more money, it became clear that some known or local person was behind the incident, said a police officer.

The Call Detail Record (CDR) and other technical analysis confirmed that the caller was calling from Ambarnath. The police team reached there, and as soon as the accused put a new SIM in his handset, the location was traced, and the police nabbed him and brought him to the Goregaon police station for further investigation. During the interrogation, the accused, Tejas Shelar, confessed to the crime, Jadhav Said.

Shelar was arrested under Section 308 (4) (extortion, specifically addressing the act of obtaining property through threats or fear) and 351 (4) (the offense of criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was produced in the court, added the officer.