Extortion calls from foreign-based gangsters continue to cause problems for Delhi's business people

NEW DELHI: Extortion calls from foreign-based gangsters continue to give Delhi's businessmen sleepless nights after three such cases were reported from different parts of the city in the last ten days, official sources said on Friday.

They said the calls were made on behalf of fugitives Anmol Bishnoi and Himanshu Bhau to a jeweller in Shahdara, a businessman in outer Delhi and a real estate agent in Dwarka.

Anmol Bishnoi is the brother of imprisoned gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. While Anmol Bishnoi is believed to be hiding in the US, Bhau is believed to be in either Spain or Portugal, according to sources in the Delhi Police.

During one of the conversations, the caller reminded the recipient about the Rajouri Garden Burger King case and said, “Hawa mein goli nahi chalegi (no bullets will be fired in the air),” the sources said.

According to a police officer who wished to remain anonymous, the cases were registered at local police stations and forwarded to the Special Cell and the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

The Shahdara-based jeweller has lodged a police complaint in which he says that a person in the name of the Anmol Bishnoi Gang called him and demanded Rs 20 million and asked him to provide the money within five days. The call was received on Thursday, the official said.

The Dwarka-based real estate agent told police that he received a call from Bhau on August 15. The outer Delhi-based businessman also received a call from Bhau on August 14, the same sources said.

According to Delhi Police statistics, a total of 133 extortion cases have been reported from across the capital this year up to August 15.

In the same period last year, a total of 141 such cases were reported. In the corresponding period of 2022, according to statistics, at least 110 extortion cases were registered.

At least 204 cases of extortion were reported in the whole of 2023, compared to 187 in 2022.

A police officer who frequently deals with such cases said the callers mostly use VoIP numbers or WhatsApp numbers stored on fake SIM cards.

According to the sources, in recent months police have identified 11 gangs involved in extortion calls, threatening businessmen, shootings and murders in the National Capital Region.

The issue of the growing menace posed by these gangs was raised at an inter-state meeting at the Delhi Police headquarters earlier this month. Officials from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan also attended the meeting.

The police commissioner had directed the officials to curb the activities of these gangs by invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and other stringent local laws, where applicable. The MCOCA is also applicable in Delhi.