3 men arrested from Punjab for extortion bid, were using name of Lawrence Bishnoi gang

Three men have been arrested from Punjab for allegedly demanding Rs 25 lakh from a jeweller in east Delhi's Kalyanpuri area by threatening him in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused have been identified as Rohit Bhullar (23), a resident of Tarn Taran; Arshdeep Singh alias Karan (21); and Gurjinder Singh alias Gagan (21), from Gurdaspur.

Gurjinder has a criminal record and is previously involved in three cases, police said.

"The matter came to light on August 12 when the director of Giri Zever Mahal in Kalyanpuri received a WhatsApp call demanding Rs 25 lakh in Bishnoi's name, along with threats if he failed to comply," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania said.

The officer said an FIR was registered at the Kalyanpuri police station and a probe was launched.

Following an investigation, Bhullar and Arshdeep were arrested from Punjab. The mobile phone used for extortion was recovered, the DCP said.

During interrogation, Arshdeep revealed that they had acted on the instructions of one Sheru, originally from Gurdaspur but now residing in Bahrain. Sheru allegedly directed them to issue threats to the victim.

Arshdeep said Sheru had involved Gurjinder Singh alias Gagan to arrange vehicles for following the victim. Acting on technical inputs, Gagan was also traced and apprehended from Punjab, the officer said.

"Gagan confessed that he came into contact with Arshdeep through social media in April this year. Arshdeep later visited his village and lured him into joining the gang, promising quick money through extortion. The trio, along with Sheru, allegedly conspired to target the jeweller," the DCP said.

Further investigation is under way to identify other associates and the possible role of Bishnoi's network, the officer said.