The police in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday claimed to have busted a major racket involving a gang that spread terror and demanded extortion in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Representative Image (IANS)
The police in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday claimed to have busted a major racket involving a gang that spread terror and demanded extortion in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Khargone SP Dr Ravindra Verma said that the police have arrested 15 persons involved in the racket, while three are still at large.
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He said the arrests were made following investigations into a firing incident at the residence of industrialist Dilip Rathore in the Bhilgaon area under Kasrawad police station on 16 March.
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Police said that the accused made a WhatsApp call from a foreign number, claiming to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and demanded a ransom of Rs 10 crore. They also sent a video of the shooting at the industrialist’s house as a threat.
The SP said that police seized three cars, one motorcycle, four pistols, 10 cartridges, 10 mobile phones, and cash worth approximately Rs 44 lakh from the accused.
He added that investigations revealed that the masterminds behind the incident are Ujjain resident Lokendra Panwar and Dhar resident Sachin Patidar, who had a financial dispute with the industrialist. They allegedly conspired with gang members to carry out the shooting and extortion.
The SP further said that, apart from Madhya Pradesh, the involvement of accused from Gujarat, Haryana, and Rajasthan has also come to light.
An FIR has also been registered in this case against Bishnoi gang member Harry Boxer, who is reportedly abroad.
The SP noted that several of the arrested accused already have serious criminal cases registered against them. The search for the absconding accused is ongoing.
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