Fear grips village as AAP leader Raju getting extortion threats

A sense of fear continues to grip Darvesh village following the November 27 firing at the residence of AAP leader and Yudh Nasheya Virudh campaign coordinator Daljit Raju, who has since been receiving repeated extortion threats from unidentified callers.

Raju said the calls, allegedly originating from an Australian number, have heightened fear within his family even as the police have not yet apprehended the key assailants although they had been identified.

Speaking to this correspondent, Raju said he had apprised senior police officials, including the DIG, Jalandhar Range, SSP and SP Phagwara, about the threatening demands to be made in the name of the “Kala Rana Group.”

Despite multiple complaints, he said, the identity of the extortionists and the masked attackers who opened fire on his house remained unclear. The incident drew strong political attention on December 9 when Punjab BJP president Balram Jakhar visited Raju’s residence to meet the family. After reviewing the situation, Jakhar criticised the AAP government, terming the episode yet another example of a “complete collapse of law and order.”

He questioned how ordinary citizens could feel secure when even an AAP leader associated with an anti-drug campaign was being targeted by criminals. “If someone like Daljit Raju can be attacked for extortion, what hope does a common person have?” he said.

The firing occurred around 1 AM on November 27, when two masked men on a motorcycle approached Raju’s home and fired several rounds toward the first floor where Raju, his wife, and daughter were sleeping.

The attackers fled after leaving behind papers bearing the message “Kala Rana Group — 5 Crore,” indicating a possible extortion motive.

Phagwara SP Madhvi Sharma said the police were on the right track and had arrested three accused linked to the case. She further apprised that the shooters had been identified by the police and would soon be nabbed.

Earlier former Union Minister Som Parkash, Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, former minister Joginder Singh Maan, MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal and AAP halka in-charge Harji Maan had visited Raju's house.