Delhi Police foil extortion bid at Chandigarh salons, 2 held
Tillu gang shooters collected arms consignment from Zirakpur
The Delhi Police on Friday claimed to have foiled an extortion bid targeting two salons in Chandigarh with the arrest of two shooters of the Tillu Tajpur-Kaushal Chaudhary-Gurvinder Baba gang.
The duo, arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell, had travelled to Chandigarh in May to carry out an extortion bid targeting the two salons but failed to execute the plan. They were allegedly preparing to target the same salons again when they were arrested, an officer said.
The accused, Hemant, alias Monu (33); and Nayan Aggarwal (25), both residents of Delhi, told interrogators that they had also travelled to Zirakpur in Mohali district in May on the directions of Gurvinder, alias Baba, who is currently based in the US, to collect a consignment of arms and ammunition.
The duo allegedly picked up the weapons from a field at a location shared by Baba and later delivered them to one of his contacts in Delhi, the police said.
The police also arrested a third accused, Durgesh Rai, alias Devil (22), a Delhi resident, in connection with the case. The three were arrested after more than 10 days of surveillance. Hemant and Aggarwal were arrested near a district park in Paschim Vihar on August 2 following a tip-off, while Durgesh was caught on August 8.
Two semi-automatic pistols and 11 cartridges were recovered from the accused. One pistol and eight cartridges were recovered from Hemant and Aggarwal, while the second pistol and three cartridges were recovered subsequently.
The police said Durgesh had earlier fired at a house in the fields of Karnal, Haryana, on Baba’s directions and was also an accused in an abduction and robbery case in Rajasthan. He allegedly used the nickname “Devil” and posted social media reels brandishing weapons to project a gangster image.
Hemant, a Class XII pass-out, allegedly handled logistics and finances for the gang and had earlier been booked for firing at a restaurant owner, the police said. Aggarwal, meanwhile, is a first-time offender, according to the police.
Further investigation into the gang’s other associates and activities is underway.
