Jaisalmer: Three alleged operatives of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang have been arrested in connection with a Rs 50-crore extortion and firing case targeting a prominent Pune-based steel businessman, police said.The arrests followed a three-day interstate operation between July 6 and 8 by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), Hanumangarh Police, the District Special Team (DST) and Pune Police. Police seized three foreign-made pistols, three magazines and 40 live cartridges during the raids.Hanumangarh SP Narendra Singh Meena said unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire at the office of H Vikas Steel Company in Pune’s Fursungi area on June 22 after allegedly demanding Rs 50 crore in extortion. A case was registered at Fursungi police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act.After intelligence suggested the suspects were hiding in and around Hanumangarh, Pune Police sent a team of around 100 personnel, led by an IPS officer and six inspectors, to Rajasthan. The AGTF and Hanumangarh DST joined the operation under SP Meena’s supervision.Police said the probe first led to the arrest of Pawan Bhatt, 24, a resident of ITI Basti in Hanumangarh Junction, on July 2. On the basis of his interrogation and technical evidence, joint teams carried out multiple raids and arrested Ravi Kumar Suthar, a resident of Ghukkawali village in Haryana’s Sirsa district, on July 6. Police identified Ravi as one of the main shooters in the firing. A juvenile allegedly linked to the accused was also detained.The accused were handed over to Pune Police for further investigation and court proceedings.Investigators said gang associates Arju Bishnoi and Shubham Lonkar claimed responsibility for the firing, which was allegedly carried out to intimidate the businessman after the extortion demand. Police said the seizure of foreign-made firearms showed the gang’s access to illegal weapons, while the probe into the wider criminal network is continuing.
