Amritsar: Dera head receives Rs 1 cr extortion call from gangster Landa Harike

PK Jaiswar

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Amritsar, January 31

Canada-based notorious gangster and designated terrorist, Lakhbir Singh alias Landa Harike, has allegedly threatened a religious Dera chief and sought Rs 1 crore by way of extortion from him.

He had threatened to eliminate his relatives and family members living in Canada and other foreign countries in case the extortion amount was not paid. According to a complaint lodged with the Kamboh police station here, he also threatened to take over the Dera forcibly.

Kamboh police have registered a case under Section 387 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC against him.

Tejkaran Singh, head of Harbhagat Dwar located in Jethuwal, said he inherited the Dera from his ancestors. He said that Lakhbir Landa had orchestrated a murderous attack on him in December 2022 and a case was registered with Kamboh police at that time. He said that again in May last year, he called from an international number and demanded an extortion of Rs 30 lakh but he did not pay any heed to it following which he threatened to shoot him and his father Surjit Singh dead.

He said that yesterday, he again got a call from an Instagram ID saying that he had enhanced the extortion amount to Rs 1 crore. The complainant said that the accused threatened to take over the Dera Harbhagat Dwar and kill him and his father if he did not pay the extortion amount. He also sent him a video of bullets and firing while intimidating him.

Amritsar Rural SSP Satinder Singh said that investigation was in progress to identify the person who had made the call.

Landa had 33 criminal cases against him and is considered as main operative of the narco-terror gangster network being run from Canada with the help of Pakistan’s ISI for creating trouble in the border state by carrying out target killings and attack on government establishments in order to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere here.

Earlier, landa attacked him in 2022

Tejkaran Singh, head of Harbhagat Dwar located in Jethuwal, said he inherited the Dera from his ancestors. He said that Lakhbir Landa had orchestrated a murderous attack on him in December 2022 and a case was registered with Kamboh police at that time. He said that again in May last year, he called from an international number and demanded an extortion of Rs 30 lakh but he did not pay any heed to it following which he threatened to shoot him and his father Surjit Singh dead. He said that yesterday, he again got a call from an Instagram ID saying that he had enhanced the extortion amount to Rs 1 crore.