Four arrested in gym owner extortion case
Samad Hoque
New Delhi, July 13
Four persons, including a juvenile, were arrested in connection with a firing incident and extortion attempt targeting a gym owner in Burari, the police said on Saturday.
The arrested were identified as Nikhil (27), Mohit (25), Gagandeep (18), and a juvenile aged 17 years. The police also recovered two illegal firearms and six live cartridges from their possession.
Gang ‘affiliated’ to jailed gangster
- The victim, who owns a gym in Burari, was targeted by a gang that is allegedly affiliated to jailed gangster Sunny Kakran.
- The jailed gangster arranged shooters from Delhi, Haryana and UP, who followed the target for a month and fired a bullet round outside the complainant’s gym
- Manoj Kumar Meena, DCP, North, said the gang’s strategy included hiring minors as shooters to execute firing incidents to demand extortion.
The victim, identified as Rohit, was targeted by a gang that is allegedly affiliated with jailed gangster Sunny Kakran.
On July 5, the police received a PCR call regarding firing in Burari. The complainant told the police that two boys approached his friend’s car and threatened him. The accused fled the scene after firing in the air. Later, the shooter robbed a motorcycle at gunpoint to flee the scene. The accused later fled to UP.
“The jailed gangster arranged shooters from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, who followed the target for a month,” a police official said.
Manoj Kumar Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North district, said the gang’s strategy included hiring minors as shooters to execute firing incidents in order to threaten victims and demand extortion.
The police said raids were conducted in Meerut and other locations, resulting in the arrest of Gagandeep, who arranged hideouts for the shooters. Nikhil, Mohit, and the juvenile were later apprehended from Hiranki in Delhi.
“Two of the accused, Nikhil and Mohit, were in continuous touch with Kakran, who also directed them to throw a slip carrying an extortion message demanding Rs 50 lakh in the name of an extortionist gang,” the police said.
